The invertebrate communities of Mauritius host a high degree of endemism, but are also imperilled by an array of factors, including invasive predators. Since their introduction in 1922, guttural toads (Sclerophrys gutturalis) have spread across the island and have been implicated in the decline of a number of endemic invertebrate species. In this study, we examined the feeding habits of the invasive population of guttural toads from three naturally forested locations in Mauritius across multiple years by analysing their stomach content. We also measured the relative abundance of prey items on the landscape using pitfall traps and applied these data to determine prey preference using a Relativised Electivity Index. Insects, malacostracans and gastropods constituted the bulk of the toads' diet (48.7%, 33.4% and 11.8%, respectively), which also included several rare and endemic species. We further determined that insects and malacostracans were also the two most favoured prey taxa, relative to what was available on the landscape. Our investigation has generated several recommendations for future research and provides a fundamental understanding of the diet of guttural toads in the native forests of Mauritius.

中文翻译：

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蟾蜍杀死：毛里求斯的侵入性咽喉蟾蜍（Sclerophrys gutturalis）的猎物多样性和偏好

毛里求斯的无脊椎动物社区特有度很高，但也受到一系列因素的侵害，包括侵入性掠食者。自从1922年被引入以来，腹蟾蜍（Sclerophrys gutturalis）散布在整个岛屿上，并与许多当地无脊椎动物物种的减少有关。在这项研究中，我们分析了毛里求斯三个自然林区的入侵蟾蜍的蟾蜍的摄食习性，这些摄食习性多年。我们还使用陷阱陷阱测量了景观中猎物的相对丰度，并使用相对电气化指数将这些数据应用于确定猎物偏好。昆虫，疟原虫和腹足动物构成了蟾蜍日粮的主体（分别占48.7％，33.4％和11.8％），其中还包括几种稀有和特有物种。我们进一步确定，相对于景观中可用的昆虫和种类，昆虫和疟原虫也是最受青睐的猎物类群。