Ecological aspects of Coleodactylus meridionalis (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in an Atlantic rainforest fragment in Northeastern Brazil

Understanding the autecology of cryptic species is fundamental for developing effective conservation strategies, particularly in threatened biomes such as the Atlantic Forest. In this study, we investigated ecological aspects of Coleodactylus meridionalis, a small terrestrial lizard with a broad distribution, in an Atlantic Forest fragment. Specifically, we analyzed the usage of microhabitats, morphological characteristics, reproductive aspects, diet, and associated endoparasites. We conducted monthly seven-day expeditions from August 2014 to July 2015 in the Campo de Instrução Marechal Newton Cavalcante, Pernambuco, Brazil. We recorded spatial use by 285 individuals, 271 (95%) of which were found in the forest interior, predominantly in leaf litter microhabitats (90.5%; N = 258). Females were significantly larger than males and had proportionally higher head heights. The diet included 22 prey categories, with Isopoda being the most frequent and voluminous and Psocoptera the most numerous prey categories found in the stomachs. The population reproduces continuously throughout the year, with fixed clutches of a single egg. The macro endoparasites found was an acanthocephalan cystacanth, with a prevalence of 13.6% and a mean infection intensity of 1.5 ± 0.74, and a Brachycoeliidae trematode, with a prevalence of 1.9% and a mean intensity of 3 ± 1.9. This is the first record of parasites for C. meridionalis, both as a paratenic host for cystacanth and as a definitive host for Brachycoeliidae.