Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 479-481 (2019) (published online on 13 May 2019)

Morphometry of neonates of Helicops leopardinus (Schlegel, 1837) (Serpentes: Colubridae: Dipsadinae)

Jéssica M. da S. Amaral¹, Vanessa do N.Barbosa2,*, Luiz F. L. Lima2, José V. de M. Souza2, Jenifer C. B. da Silva2, and Ednilza M. dos Santos2

The genus Helicops includes 17 species distributed is a fragment of Atlantic Forest with ombrophylous throughout South America (Uetz and Hošek, 2018), vegetation near a fish tank on the campus of UFRPE, of which 13 can be found in Brazil (Costa and Bérnils, a Protected Green Area that is adjacent to the Parque 2018). Helicops leopardinus is widely distributed in Estadual de Dois Irmãos conservation unit. On August South America, from Colombia to northern Argentina, 14th 2018, she gave birth to two living neonates, four including northern (Frota, 2005; Bernarde et al., stillborn neonates, and one premature neonate; on 2012), western (Silva et al., 2015) and northeastern August 17th, she birthed an additional stillborn neonate. Brazil (Rodrigues, 2003; Ribeiro, 2012; Rodrigues, All the neonates had a colour pattern which differed 2012; Silva, 2014; Freitas, 2015; Madella-Auricchio from their mother (Figure 1C), with a darker back, a red et al., 2017). These snakes live in wet areas and have stomach (as mentioned by Lira-da-Silva et al. 1994), and semi-aquatic habits, occupying margins of rivers with a broken yellow neck ring on the lateral portion of the large concentrations of vegetation and floating islands head. One of the living babies was born with a greyish of macrophytes (Avila et al., 2006). Parity is highly color, distinct from the other ones (Figure 1D). All the variable within Helicops, but all reports suggest that H. neonates were measured and weighed just after birth; leopardinus gives birth to live neonates (Scartozzoni the measurements were: snout-vent length (SVL); tail and Almeida-Santos, 2006; Braz et al., 2016; Bellini length (TL); head width (HW); head height (HH); head et al., 2017). Relatively few data have been collected length (HL); inter-nasal width (NW); inter-ocular width on the timing, litter size, or morphology of neonates of (OW); ocular-nasal distance (OND); eye diameter (ED); H. leopardinus (Lira-da-Silva et al., 1994; Rodrigues, and body height (BD). All measurements were taken 2012). using a digital pachymeter (precision = 0.1mm) except On July 19th2018 we captured a pregnant female for mass, assessed using a digital balance (precision Helicops leopardinus (Figure 1A), measuring 440 = 0.1mm) and sex, determined using probes (Table mm in snout-vent length (SVL), 127mm in tail length, 1). The dead neonates were deposited in the Coleção weighing 80g, in a wet open area on the campus of the Herpetológica at Universidade Federal da Paraiba Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE) (vouchers: CHUFPB- RF 428-432), whereas the healthy (-8.020085°S, -34.946113°W; WGS84), metropolitan ones and their mother were released at a preserved area region of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. The habitat on the campus of UFRPE. The average length of the neonates (SVL) was 113.5 ± 12.84 mm and the average weight was 2.03 ± 0.84 g. Other morphometric measurements are reported in Table 1. Parturition in July corroborates the finding of 1 Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Programa de Pós-graduação Rodrigues (2012), who reported finding five pregnant em Ecologia e Monitoramento Ambiental, CEP 58297-000. females in northern Brazil during the month of July, Rio Tinto, PB, Brazil. suggesting that this is their reproductive season. Lira- 2 Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Departamento de da-Silva et al. (1994) recorded the birth of 10 neonates Biologia, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, CEP of Helicops leopardinus in northeastern Brazil, and 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil. reported their average length as 186.5±6.5 mm. * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Immediately after birth we observed that the neonates 480 Jéssica M. da S. Amaral et al.

Figure 1.A- Pregnant female Helicops leopardinus found at Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco on July 19th2018; B-The female buried with just a small portion of the head exposed, indicated by the red arrow; C- Helicops leopardinus with neonates; D- neonates of H. leopardinus with different colours compared to that of the mother.

Table 1. Helicops leopardinus neonate morphometry (mm) and weight (g). Abbreviations: SVL= snout-vent length; TL= tail Table 1. Helicops leopardinus neonate morphometry (mm) and weight (g). Abbreviations: SVL= snout- length; HW= head width; HH= head height; HL= head length; NW= inter-nasal distance; OW= inter-ocular distance; OND= vent length; TL= tail length; HW= head width; HH= head height; HL= head length; NW= inter-nasal ocular-nasal distance; ED=OW= eye inter-ocular diameter; distance; BD= body OND= height; ocular-nasal F= female; distance; M= male. ED= *Individuals eye diameter; released BD= on body the height;UFRPE campus, **IndividualsF= deposited female; in M= the male.Herpetological *Individuals Collection released of the on Universidade the UFRPE campus,Federal da **Individuals Paraíba. deposited in the Herpetological Collection of the Universidade Federal da Paraíba.

ID SVL TL HW HH HL NW OW OND ED BD mass sex RF428** 117.10 33.72 3.81 6.24 10.99 1.92 2.66 1.78 1.41 4.84 2.7 F RF 429** 105.25 39.17 4.48 3.55 9.49 1.94 2.61 1.14 1,01 3.40 0.8 F RF 430** 96.79 36.97 5.82 3.51 10.28 1.97 2.44 0.96 1.49 2.88 1.2 M RF 431** 96.65 35.76 5.40 3.83 8.33 1.62 2.63 0.93 1.36 3.35 1.3 M Indiv. 5* 122.33 48.77 5.01 4.71 9.36 2.23 3.53 1.80 1.86 4.39 2.3 M Indiv. 6* 128.30 48.35 5.29 4.14 9.25 2.27 3.19 1.27 2.03 5.90 3.0 F RF 432** 128.06 35.46 6.79 4.45 10.15 1.16 3.20 1.53 1.42 4.31 2.9 F Mean 113.5 39.74 5.23 4.35 9.69 1.87 2.89 1.34 1.51 4.15 2.0 Standard deviation 12.84 5.78 0.88 0.88 0.80 0.35 0.38 0.34 0.31 0.96 0.80 Morphometry of neonates of Helicops leopardinus 481 buried themselves in the substrate. Likewise, the adult Caenophidia) from northeastern Brazil. Herpetology Notes female made and used underground tunnels during the 11:441–444. daytime, sometimes exposing just a portion of her head Ribeiro, S.C., Roberto, I.J., Sales, D.L., Ávila, R.W., Almeida, W.O. (2012): Amphibians and reptiles from the Araripe bioregion, (Figure 1B), suggesting that this species may have semi- northeastern Brazil. Salamandra 48: 133–146. fossorial habits in the wild. Rodrigues, M.T. (2003): Herpetofauna da Caatinga. In: Ecologia e Data on neonate morphology, timing of reproduction, conservação da Caatinga, p. 181–236. Leal, I.R., Tabarelli, M., and behaviour are still deficient for this species as Silva, J.M.C., Eds, Recife, Brasil, Editora Universitária. a whole. These data on neonate morphometry and Rodrigues, G.M. (2012): Taxocenose de serpentes da ilha de mass fill gaps about natural history and phenotypic Marajó, estado do Pará, Brasil. Tese de Mestrado, Universidade characteristics of H. leopardinus. Such basic data have Federal do Pará, Belém, Brasil. great value for taxonomy and for comparative studies of Santana, D.O., Caldas, F.L.S., Machado, C.M.S., Vilanova- Júnior, J.L., Faria, R.G. (2017): Morphometry of hatchlings ecology and population biology (Santana et al., 2017; of Thamnodynastes pallidus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Serpentes: Morais et al., 2018). Dipsadidae: Xenodontinae: Tachymenini). Herpetology Notes 10:589–591. Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Dr. Frederico França for Scartozzoni, R.R., Almeida-Santos, S.M. (2006): Helicops reviewing and confirming the species in this paper. We also thank leopardinus (Water snake). Reproduction. Herpetological the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco - UFRPE, the Bulletin 97: 39–40. Herpetological Collection of the Universidade Federal da Paraíba Silva, R.M. 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