Fuchs and Rödel report a probable predation event on the Rainbow Galliwasp (Diploglossus monotropis), a rarely seen lizard that lives in leaf litter and under logs. They documented it during fieldwork on frog communities in the Canandé Reserve. On a rainy evening in April 2024, they found a Common Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) eating a freshly killed adult galliwasp; the opossum ran off when the observer came closer. The opossum most likely killed the lizard, although it may only have scavenged the carcass. Among the remains, the authors found a well-developed oocyte, which showed that the lizard was a reproductive female. This is one of only a few recorded predation events on this species; the others involved a Sunbittern and a colubrid snake. It is also the first evidence of when the species reproduces in the wild, in this case the late rainy season. The observation supports the idea that many birds and mammals prey on this galliwasp, and it shows how little is still known about the ecology and natural history of this secretive lizard.
Fuchs N, Rödel M-O (2026) Predation on a reproductive female galliwasp Diploglossus monotropis (Squamata: Diploglossidae) by a Common Opossum in the Ecuadorian Chocó. Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetología 9(3): e1625, 815–817. https://doi.org/10.22201/fc.25942158e.2026.3.1625