How to source and collate natural history information: a case study of reported prey items of Erythrolamprus miliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)

Knowledge on species’ natural history, like observations of predator-prey interactions, help to understand the width of food webs and ecological niches. However, collating (un)published natural history information can be challenging, especially in this age of high scientific output, and even more so for geographically widespread and common species. Here, I summarize the literature on prey items reported for Erythrolamprus miliaris (Linnaeus, 1758), a widespread South American dipsadid. Overall, 38 reported prey species have been determined to the species level. These mainly constitute species of Amphibia (n = 30, 79%), which are common prey in the water-rich habitats where E. miliaris is mainly present. Furthermore, as several manuscripts made incorrect statements about prey novelties, I provide recommendations to optimize sourcing and collating of published and unpublished natural history information. These recommendations allow authors to better collate a complete overview of reported data and the potential novelty of field observations ahead of manuscript preparation and submission.