Diurnal activity pattern, habitat preferences and diet of Pseudopaludicola pusilla (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in a locality of the Colombian Caribbean.

We described diurnal activity patterns, diet and habitat preferences of Pseudopaludicola pusilla in the municipality of El Roble, department of Sucre, a lowland locality in the Colombian Caribbean. We conducted records and observations of the diurnal activity pattern of the species in both, rainy and dry seasons, assessing the preference of species to different microhabitat using a logistic regression model. We determined the diet composition during daytime in both seasons. The species is active during the day, even throughout the hours of maximum solar exposure and highest temperatures, during the rainy season as well as dry periods. Pseudopaludicola pusilla prefers to use holes in the ground and crevices located near to water bodies as refuge sites; its diurnal predatory activity allows them to feed on a great variety of arthropods, including those of the orders Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Hymenoptera. The species exhibits certain tolerance to the high temperatures recorded during this study, however, the seasonality is an important factor in the activity and feeding patterns of the species; environmental conditions during the rainy season allows them to explore more food and microhabitat resources.