scholarly journals Reproductive biology of the Amazon Lava Lizard (Tropidurus torquatus) from the Wet Chaco of Corrientes (Argentina): congeneric comparisons of ecotypic and interspecific variations

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (7) ◽  
pp. 643-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Ortiz ◽  
J.M. Boretto ◽  
C. Piantoni ◽  
B.B. Álvarez ◽  
N.R. Ibargüengoytía
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Hatching Time ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
Lava Lizard ◽  
Clutch Mass

Herein we describe the reproductive biology of a population of the Amazon Lava Lizard (Tropidurus torquatus (Wied-Neuwied, 1820)) from Corrientes, northeastern Argentina (Wet Chaco). We describe the male and female reproductive cycles, minimum body size for adults, reproductive output, mean relative clutch mass, fat body cycles, and sexual dimorphism. Our results were compared with data on the reproductive biology of Brazilian populations of T. torquatus and congeneric species. In Corrientes, males of T. torquatus exhibited a continuous reproductive cycle, but with annual variation of testicular parameters associated with spermatogenic activity. In contrast, females were reproductive only from winter to summer (July–February), laying at least two clutches each of six eggs, on average, per reproductive season. The relative clutch mass and egg size values in Corrientes were the highest reported for the species. The annual cycle of energy storage (as fat bodies) was inversely correlated with reproductive activity in both sexes. Males differed from females in snout–vent length, head size, interlimb length, and tail length. We observed interpopulational differences in relative clutch mass, egg volume and mass, incubation period and hatching time, and the minimum body size for sexual maturity probably as a result of phenotypic plasticity or adaptation to local environmental conditions and likely both.

Reproductive biology of the false coral snake Oxyrhopus guibei (Colubridae) from southeastern Brazil

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otavio Marques ◽  
Lígia Pizzatto
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Coral Snake ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
Number Of Individuals

AbstractThe reproductive biology of the false coral snake, Oxyrhopus guibei, was studied through dissection of 496 specimens, combined with observations on captive individuals. Males mature with smaller body size than females, females attain much larger body size, and male-male combat is not expected. Clutch size ranged from 3 to 20, and was correlated with female length. Reproductive cycles in both males and females seem to be continuous, with vitellogenesis and spermatogenesis occurring throughout the year. Reproductive activity in both sexes decreased at the end of the rainy season possibly due to previous intense reproductive activity in more favorable climatic conditions. The smaller number of individuals collected at the end of the rainy season apparently occurs due to the decrease of reproductive activity of this snake.

scholarly journals Can snakes use yolk reserves to maximize body size at hatching?

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 627-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Fu Qu ◽  
Shu-Zhan Zhao ◽  
Xu-Fei Jiang ◽  
Long-Hui Lin ◽  
Xiang Ji
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Linear Size ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Free Body ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Naja Atra

Abstract We experimentally miniaturized freshly laid eggs of the Chinese cobra Naja atra (Elapidae) by removing ∼10% and ∼20% of original yolk. We tested if yolk-reduced eggs would produce 1) normal-sized hatchlings with invariant yolk-free body mass (and thus invariant linear size) but dramatically reduced or even completely depleted residual yolk, 2) smaller hatchlings with normal-sized residual yolk but reduced yolk-free body mass, or 3) smaller hatchlings of which both yolk-free body mass and residual yolk are proportionally reduced. Yolk quantity affected hatchling linear size (both snout-vent length and tail length) and body mass. However, changes in yolk quantity did not affect incubation length or any hatchling trait examined after accounting for egg mass at laying (for control and sham-manipulated eggs) or after yolk removal (for manipulated eggs). Specifically, yolk-reduced eggs produced hatchlings of which all major components (carcass, residual yolk, and fat bodies) were scaled down proportionally. We show that snakes cannot use yolk reserves to maximize their body size at hatching. Furthermore, our data also suggest that the partitioning of yolk in embryonic snakes is species-specific.

Reproductive cycles, fat body cycles and socio-sexual behaviour in the Mallee dragon, Amphibolurus fordi (Lacertilia : Agamidae)

1978 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 653 ◽  
Author(s):  
HG Cogger
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
New South ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Behavioural Types ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
Sexually Mature

A field study of the reproductive and fat cycles of the small agamid lizard Amphibolurus fordi was undertaken in two areas of mallee in central western New South Wales. The development of the gonads, including the histology of the testicular cycle, is described, together with correlated changes in the size of the inguinal fat bodies. The males emerge from winter torpor some 4-5 weeks before the females. The sex ratio approximates unity throughout the life cycle. Mating occurs from October to December; up to three clutches each of two or three eggs are laid in a season. The eggs hatch in 7-9 weeks after laying. The construction of the nesting chamber by the female is described. Apart from behaviour specifically geared to thermoregulation, two other behavioural types have been identified: male-female interactions involving only sexually mature individuals during the reproductive period, and non-sex-specific patterns which occur in both immature and mature individuals of either sex. Males are not territorial.

Reproductive biology of a cave-associated population of the frog Rana palustris

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Resetarits Jr. ◽  
Robert D. Aldridge
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Detectable Effect ◽  
Size At Maturity ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Cave Use ◽  
Sexually Mature

Aspects of the reproductive biology of a trogloxene population of the pickerel frog, Rana palustris (Anura: Ranidae), were studied at a cave on the edge of the Ozark plateau in Missouri. Sexual dimorphism in body size was marked; there was almost no overlap in adult body size ranges, and the ratio of mean adult female snout–vent length (SVL) to adult male SVL was 1.26. All males with SVL of >45 mm were sexually mature. Males showed a clear cycle of spermatogenesis, with a peak in midsummer and a decline in spermatogenic activity through autumn and winter. Minimum size at maturity for females was 59 mm SVL. Females completed vitellogenesis during the summer, before their arrival at the study site. Of 28 females above the minimum size at maturity, 27 contained egg clutches. Clutch size, clutch mass, and egg size (mass) show significant positive correlation with SVL. Mean (±SD) clutch size was 1759 ± 548. Fat bodies were present in both males and females in autumn, but were totally depleted before the animals emerged from hibernation. Trogloxene R. palustris do not diverge significantly from patterns of reproductive biology typical of other temperate zone Rana. Current or past patterns of cave use have had no detectable effect on reproductive characteristics of trogloxene R. palustris.

Reproductive tactics of Ameiva ameiva (Lacertilia: Teiidae) in a seasonally fluctuating tropical habitat

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 3113-3120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie J. Vitt
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Northeast Brazil ◽  
Reproductive Tactics ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Fat Body Mass

The reproductive ecology of Ameiva ameiva was studied for 12 months in a caatinga habitat of northeast Brazil. Even though rainfall was seasonal, the female reproductive cycle was not associated with this seasonality. Females reproduced year-round, with peak reproductive periods during August–October and January–February. Clutch size ranged from one to nine and was correlated to female size but egg size was constant. Males showed evidence of reproductive activity throughout the year. Fat body mass of males and females varied greatly among individuals. There was no association between fat storage and wet–dry seasonality. In females, fat body mass tended to decrease during peak reproductive periods. Most striking was the observation that 97.8% of all adult Ameiva possessed enlarged fat bodies, suggesting that resource periods low enough to affect reproduction did not exist during 1977–1978. The reproductive tactics of Ameiva were similar to those of other tropical macroteiids, regardless of their distribution, but very different than reproductive tactics of sympatric iguanid lizards. Compared with iguanid lizards, resources may be less limiting for macroteiids because their widely foraging behavior for prey acquisition may allow them to find rich patches of resources which would be unavailable to habitat specific sit-and-wait foragers, like most iguanid lizards.

Reproduction and feeding of the colubrid snake Tomodon dorsatus from south-eastern Brazil

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Sazima ◽  
Otavio Marques ◽  
Alessandra Bizerra
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Brazil ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Upper Jaw ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
Clutch Mass

AbstractBody size, sexual dimorphism, reproductive cycles, fecundity, diet and feeding behaviour of the colubrid snake Tomodon dorsatus from south-eastern Brazil were studied. Females of this viviparous species attained larger body sizes than males, the latter maturing with smaller body size than the former. Vitellogenesis occurred at the onset of rainy season, ovulation by mid rainy season, and parturition from late dry to early rainy season. Reproductive cycle was extended, maybe as a consequence of the low metabolism and food intake. Litter size ranged 4-26 offspring and was correlated with maternal body size. Relative clutch mass ranged 0.48-0.82, and neonates ranged 12-17 cm in snout-vent length. Tomodon dorsatus was shown to feed exclusively on veronicellid slugs quickly swallowed by long excursions of the specialized upper jaw units.

Changes in the fat scores of the skinks Morethia boulengeri and Hemiergis peronii (Lacertilia)

1974 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Smyth
Keyword(s):  
Body Fat ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Abdominal Fat ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fat Stores ◽  
Breeding Condition ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Autumn And Winter

M. boulengeri is oviparous; males are in breeding condition in spring. H, peronii is viviparous; males are in breeding condition in autumn and winter. The former has abdominal fat bodies; the latter does not. The amounts of fat in tails, fat bodies, eggs, and the rest of the body were measured at different times of the year in both species. Changes in these fat stores suggest that fat from tails and, where present, fat bodies, is used by females for producing eggs and by males for activities associated with reproductive activity. In both sexes of both species there were large differences between individuals in the amount of stored fat. Removing tails from females made them produce fewer eggs; the reduction was greater in H, peronii. When M. boulengeri were fasting, they used more fat from their tails than from any other source, but they used up a higher proportion of fat body fat than of their other fat stores.

Reproductive and fat body cycle of the lizard Liolaemus wiegmanni

1991 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Patricia Ramirez Pinilla
Keyword(s):  
Fat Body ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Abdominal Fat ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Testicular Volume ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
The West ◽  
Subtropical Zone ◽  
Early Fall ◽  
Fat Bodies

AbstractAdults of Liolaemus wiegmanni, a species which inhabits the west chacoan subtropical zone of South America, exhibit late winter and spring reproductive activity. Females have vitellogenic follicles, ovulation, fertilization and are ovigerous between August and January (Austral late winter, spring and early summer). In males, testicular volume begins to increase in March (early fall), peaks in October (spring), and declines in early summer. Fat body cycles are similar in both females and males. The female fat body cycle is inversely related to the reproductive cycle and in males abdominal fat bodies increase during the increment of testicular volume in the fall, but decrease during the winter and disappear during the breeding season. Fat body stores appear to be used by females for winter nutrition and for vitellogenesis in late winter. Males utilize their fat body reserves during winter months for nutritition and possibly for initial displays of courtship and copulation in late winter.

Reproduction in the lizard Mabuya heathi (Scincidae): a commentary on viviparity in new world Mabuya

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 2798-2806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie J. Vitt ◽  
Daniel G. Blackburn
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
New World ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Fat Bodies

The tropical Brazilian skink Mabuya heathi is viviparous, producing ova which increase in wet mass by 53 800% and in dry mass by 38 400% during gestation. Ovulation occurs during October–January, rapid growth in embryos takes place during June–October, and parturition occurs in September–November, between 9 and 12 months after ovulation. Female and male reproduction is cyclic and is synchronous between the sexes. Brood size is 2–9 [Formula: see text] and is significantly correlated to female size. Fat bodies of females are largest when embryos are small, and decrease in mass as embryos increase in size. Testes in males are largest during September–February, associated with a decrease in fat body size. Mabuya heathi is the second species of lizard in the caatinga herpetofauna shown to be strongly cyclical in reproduction and to reproduce only once per year.

‘I saw a knock-out’: Fatness, (In)visibility, and Desire in Shallow Hal

Somatechnics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Wykes
Keyword(s):  
Female Body ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Western Culture ◽  
Embodied Experience ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Dominant Meaning ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Female Bodies ◽  
Fat Bodies ◽  
Sexual Body

When the Farrelly brothers' movie Shallow Hal (2001) was released, one reviewer suggested that the film ‘might have been more honest if [it] had simply made Hal have a thing about fat women’ ( Kerr 2002 : 44). In this paper, I argue that Kerr hits the mark but misses the point. While the film's treatment of fat is undoubtedly problematic, I propose a ‘queer’ reading of the film, borrowing the idea of ‘double coding’ to show a text about desire for fat (female) bodies. I am not, however, seeking to position Shallow Hal as a fat-positive text; rather, I use it as a starting point to explore the legibility of the fat female body as a sexual body. In contemporary mainstream Western culture, fat is regarded as the antithesis of desire. This meaning is so deeply ingrained that representations of fat women as sexual are typically framed as a joke because desire for fat bodies is unimaginable; this is the logic by which Shallow Hal operates. The dominant meaning of fatness precludes recognition of the fat body as a sexual body. What is at issue is therefore not simply the lack of certain images, but a question of intelligibility: if the meaning of fat is antithetical to desire, how can the desire for – and of – fat bodies be intelligible as desire? This question goes beyond the realm of representation and into the embodied experience of fat sexuality.

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