NOTES ON THE DIET OF Crotalus intermedius TROSCHEL, 1865

Abstract

The Mexican small-headed rattlesnake (Crotalus intermedius) is composed of three recognized subspecies that occur disjunctly in the central and southern highlands of Mexico. Only four species-specific prey items are reported in the literature for C. intermedius at present. To gain further insights, we dissected museum specimens housed in the University of Illinois Museum of Natural History Herpetology Collection for stomach contents and report the prey items discovered. Of the 23 specimens examined, seven contained prey, all of which were lizards of the genus Sceloporus. As a result, we report two novel prey to the known dietary breadth of C. intermedius. Furthermore, our findings, in conjunction with published literature, suggest that Sceloporus spp. are the predominant food source of C. intermedius. Due to this apparent diet specialization, the status of C. intermedius likely depends heavily on the persistence of prey populations, and for this reason, improving natural history knowledge will be vital for informing conservation efforts.