Southwestern Association of Naturalists
Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva) in New Mexico
Author(s): Barbara Hoditschek, Jack F. Cully, Jr., Troy L. Best, Charles Painter
Source: The Southwestern Naturalist, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Nov. 27, 1985), pp. 600-601
Published by: Southwestern Association of Naturalists
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3671056 .
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The Southwestern Naturalist
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FIG.2-Combined monthly proportion of diet containing six major prey items other than
Orthoptera in 238 Crotaphytus collaris collaris for the 1971-72 and 79-80 activity seasons. Bars
and sample sizes are the same as in Fig. 1.
Although actual quantifications on the relative densities of arthropods in the environment were
not assessed, field observations (McAllister, 1980) suggest seasonal differences in prey availability.
In addition, significant seasonal changes in the diet occurred (Figs. 1 and 2), while there was
no preference for prey items between the sexes. It appears that availability, rather than preference,
dictates the numbers and kinds of prey species eaten by C. c. collaris. Montanucci (1967) reported
that availability rather than preference governs prey items consumed by leopard lizards (Gambelia
wislizenii). Additionally, sceloporine lizards are also opportunistic feeders (Simon, Ecology
56:993-998, 1975; Rose, Ecology 57:531-541, 1976; Dunham, Ecology 59:770-778, 1978; Ballinger
and Ballinger, 1979). Interestingly, whiptail lizards that utilize the "widely-foraging" strategy
(MacArthur and Pianka, 1966) also have a seasonal variation in prey consumed, indicative of
temporally abundant Arthropoda.
In conclusion, C. c. collaris uses a "sit and wait" foraging strategy that involves a modified
ambush technique. Collared lizards from Arkansas and Missouri ingest a variety of prey items,
but primarily feed upon grasshoppers or beetles and, occasionally, other lizards. The differences
in monthly prey masses can be explained by temporal fluctuations in prey availability.
I thank Stanley E. Trauth, Arkansas State University, for providing many of the lizards utilized
in this study. I am grateful to Harvey E. Barton and George L. Harp, Arkansas State University,
and Ronald S. Caldwell, Arkansas College, for assistance in the identification of insects and
snails. This study is based on a portion of a Master's thesis at Arkansas State University. I thank
members of my thesis committee for assistance and encouragement. Finally, I thank Jon D.
Blachley, VA Medical Center-Dallas, and Stanley E. Trauth for critically reviewing the
manuscript.-CHRIS T. MCALLISTER,Renal-Metabolic Lab (151-G), Veterans Administration
Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75216.
LEAST SHREW (CRYPTOTIS PARVA) IN NEW MEXICO.-Although
Pleistocene remains
of New Mexico least shrews (Cryptotis parva) have been found in Eddy and Grant Counties (for
example, Harris et al., J. Mammal. 54:512-513, 1973; Harris, pp. 23-54 in Wauer, R. H., et al.
(eds.), U.S.D.I., Nat. Park Serv. Trans. Proc. Ser. No. 3, 658 pp., 1977; Logan, Proc. Eighth
Internat. Congr. Speleol. 1:159-160, 1981), no extant populations were previously known to occur
in the state. Herein we report the first information on an extant population of C. parva in New
Mexico.
November 1985
Notes
601
On 9 October 1981 an adult male C. parva was captured by a housecat in a heavily grassed
area 1.1 km SW Tucumcari Lake, S ½ SE '4 Sec. 13, TllN, R30E, Quay Co. On 15 July 1983
a second adult male was captured in a pitfall trap in a mesic grassy area under a willow tree
(Salix gooddingii) next to cattails (Typha angustifolia) at the edge of Tucumcari Lake on the
NE 1 Sec. 13, T11N, R30E, Quay Co. The nearest reported occurrences of this species are in
western Texas about 225 km east of Tucumcari Lake: Yellowhouse Canyon, 4.5 mi. N Slaton,
Lubbock, Co.; vicinity of Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Randall Co. (Packard and
Judd, J. Mammal. 49:535-538, 1968); and Stinnet, Hutchison Co. (Blair, Texas J. Sci. 6:235-264,
1954).
Tucumcari Lake is a shallow playa containing about 180 surface ha of water. It receives
drainage from a large area of irrigated farmland and non-irrigated mesquite-scrub desert (see Ross
and Pease, U.S.D.A., S.C.S., New Mexico Agric. Exper. Sta., 94 pp. + maps, 1974, for
agricultural and soils information). Currently, most of the water in Tucumcari Lake comes from
underground seepage of irrigation water. In the past, water came primarily from runoff following
rain showers which provided a more variable water level than at present. The area surrounding
Tucumcari Lake has received varying amounts of grazing and other disturbances due to human
activities, but it has apparently provided a continuous patch of mesic habitat suitable for the
survival of C. parva.
A third specimen was collected in Quay Co. during 1984. On 14 January a female was obtained
5 mi. S, 1 mi. E jet. highways 66 and 88. The least shrew may be relatively widespread in eastcentral New Mexico. The Santa Rosa Lakes area, 95 km W Tucumcari in Guadalupe Co., and
the mesic areas along the South Canadian River drainage may also support populations of
Cryptotis. More field survey is needed to accurately determine the distribution of this species in
eastern New Mexico.
The 1981 and 1984 specimens are deposited in the University of New Mexico Museum of
Southwestern Biology and the 1983 specimen is in the collection of the New Mexico Department
of Game and Fish, Santa Fe. We thank J. S. Findley for his helpful suggestions and for verifying
our identifications of the specimens, and D. J. Hafner for reviewing the manuscript. Funds for
the 1983 studies were provided by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Share With
Wildlife Program.-BARBARA HODITSCHEK,
JACK F CULLY, JR., T¶oY L. BEST AND CHARLES
PAINTER, Dept. of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology, Univ. of New Mexico,
Albuquerque, NM 87131.
DIET AND FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF THE CALIFORNIA RED-LEGGED FROG, RANA
California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii)
AURORA DRAYTONII (RANIDAE).-The
is a large ranid frog distributed along the Pacific coast of North America from northern
California to northwestern Baja California, Mexico (Altig and Dumas, Catalog Amer. Amphi.
Rept. 160:1-4, 1972). Because few data for this taxon exist, we present original information on
its diet and feeding behavior.
In a description that provides most existing data for R. a. draytonii (Storer, Univ. California
Publ. Zool. 27:1-342, 1925), diet and feeding behavior are not discussed. Dickerson (The Frog
Book, Doubleday, Page and Co., New York, 1906) stated that R. draytonii [= R. a. draytonii]
takes prey found under water, and emphasized its cannibalistic and fish-eating habits. Dickerson
added that aquatic and terrestrial insects, tadpoles, and worms are eaten, and notes that sowbugs
are the preferred prey. Stebbins (Amphibians of Western North America, Univ. California Press,
Berkeley, 1951) noted some food items for R. aurora, however all data are from frogs referable
to R. a. aurora. The only additional data are those of Sanders (A herpetological survey of Ventura
County, Unpubl. MA thesis, Stanford Univ., 1950), who found insect and spider remains in one
frog and speculated that this frog might eat recently metamorphosed Hyla regilla, and Hays
(Herpetologica 11:153, 1955), who fed a captive frog a variety of food items that included an Acris
gryllus, a 100 mm bullfrog tadpole and a 58 mm Bufo boreas.
We examined the gut contents of 35 R. a. draytonii. Included is a sample of 20 frogs that were
collected from 1800-2100 h on January 18 and 23, and from 2200-0400 h on February 13-14, 1981
at Canada de la Gaviota, Santa Barbara Co., California. Vouchers are deposited in the Los
Angeles County Natural History Museum (LACM 135325-344). The remaining 15 frogs were
obtained from collections at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP). These frogs
came from four California localities: 1) a pond 6 m S of Solstice Canyon Road and 0.4 km N
of the Pacific Coast Hwy (Hwy 1), Los Angeles Co. (CPP 1737, 1739 and 1742); and 2) Trancas