Predation by non-bioluminescent firefly larvae on a tepui-summit endemic toad.

Tepuis are Precambrian sandstone tabletop mountains in South America that can reach up to ∼3,000 m in elevation. Their highest summits are both physiographically and ecologically isolated from the surrounding upland savannah and lush tropical rainforest, and they face particularly hostile, challenging environmental conditions [1,2] (Figure 1A). Taxa thriving on high tepui summits must adapt to resource-limited and highly competitive ecosystems. The toad genus Oreophrynella is exclusively found on tepui slopes and summits [3] and is particularly well-adapted to the tepui top environment. We here report on an unanticipated and possibly large-scale predation on this endemic toad by non-bioluminescent firefly larvae.