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Diet and Reproductive Biology of the Viviparous Lizard Sceloporus

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Diet and Reproductive Biology of the Viviparous Lizard Sceloporus Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Diet and Reproductive Biology of the Viviparous Lizard Sceloporus torquatus torquatus (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae) Author(s): Manuel Feria Ortiz, Adrián Nieto-Montes de Oca and Isaías H. Salgado Ugarte Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Mar., 2001), pp. 104-112 Published by: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1566029 . Accessed: 10/12/2012 13:41 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Herpetology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.52.76 on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:41:45 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Journalof Herpetology,Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 104-112,2001 Copyright2001 Society for the Studyof Amphibiansand Reptiles Diet and Reproductive Biology of the Viviparous Lizard Sceloporus torquatus torquatus (Squamata:Phrynosomatidae) MANUEL FERIAORTIZ,1 ADRIAN NIETO-MONTESDE OCA,2 AND ISAIASH. SALGADOUGARTE1 'Museo de Zoologia,Facultad de Estudios SuperioresZaragoza, Unizersidad Nacional Aut6nomade Mdxico,Batalla de 5 de mayos/n, Col. Ejercitode Oriente,Mexico 09230, D. F, Mdxico,2Museo de Zoologia,Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autdnoma de Mexico, Apartado Postal 70-399, Mexico 04510, D. F, Mexico; E-mail:[email protected] ABSTRACT.-Thereproductive cycle and diet of a population of the viviparous lizard Sceloporus torquatus torquatusfrom the Pedregalde San Angel, Distrito Federal,Mexico, were studied. Ovarianactivity began in June,and by October,one to five preovulatoryfollicles per ovary were present Ovulation took place in Novemberand December,and parturitionoccurred in late April or early May.Relative litter and egg masses were higher at the end of development than at the beginning. Testes increasedin size from June through September,when they reachedtheir maximumvolume and weight Testicularregression began at this point and was particularlyaccentuated in Octoberand November. The diet of both sexes was composedprimarily of insects; however, plant material(small flowers and fruits),spiders, isopods, and occasionallyearthworms were also consumed. Both sexes consumed plant material throughoutthe year. In the dry season, males ingested twice as much food as females. RESUMEN.-Seestudiaron el ciclo reproductory la dieta de una poblacion de la lagartijavivipara Sceloporus torquatustorquatus que habita en el Pedregalde San Angel, Distrito Federal,Mexico. La actividadovarica comenz6 en junio, y para octubre se encontraronde uno a cinco foliculos preovulatoriospor ovario. La ovulaci6n ocurri6 entre noviembrey diciembre,y el parto a fines de abril o principios de mayo. La masas relativasde la camaday de los huevos fueronmayores a finales del desarrolloembrionario que al principio. Los testlculos aumentaronde tamafnodesde junio hasta septiembre,cuando alcanzaronsu volumen y peso maximos. Posteriormentecomenzo la regresi6ntesticular, la cual fue particularmenteacentuada en octubre y noviembre.La dieta de ambos sexos consisti6 principalmentede insectos; sin embargo,tambien se con- sumieron,ademais de materiavegetal (floresy frutos pequefios),arafias, is6podos y ocasionalmentelombrices de tierra. Ambos sexos consumieron materia vegetal durantetodo el afo. En la epoca seca, las hembras consumieronalrededor de la mitad del alimento consumido por los machos. Fitch (1970) stated that the reproductive sea- predator escape behavior (Vitt and Condgon, son in temperate lizards usually occurs during 1978), and individual morphology (Vitt, 1981) the spring and summer. However, reproductive can be important in molding the reproductive patterns in which gametogenesis, courting, cop- biology of lizards. It has been suggested that ulation, and fertilization occur in the fall have differences in life history within a species may been reported since the early 1970s (Goldberg, be the result of physiological or developmental 1971; Ballinger, 1973). Guillette and Casas-An- responses to environmental conditions, rather dreu (1980) pointed out that fall reproductive than phylogenetic effects or genetic sources activity is common in viviparous lizards inhab- (e.g., Steams, 1980). Thus, a better understand- iting high elevations in temperate zones. More ing of the influence of envionmental conditions recent papers have reported this reproductive in molding life-history traits requires knowl- modality in additional species and have at- edge of their variation among populations of the tempted to explain its advantages (Guillette and same species. Bearce, 1986; Guillette and Casas-Andreu, 1987; Sceloporustorquatus torquatus is a viviparous Ramfrez, 1991; Guillette and Mendez de la lizard occurring in central Mexico (Smith, 1936). Cruz, 1993; Ramfrez-Bautista et al., 1996, 1998). It is usually confined to rocky habitats, although Intra- and interspecific variation in reproduc- it is entirely arboreal in some areas (Smith, 1936; tion and life-history traits of lizards is partially Duellman, 1961). Werler (1951), Fitch (1970), and explained by the physical environment (Bena- Feria-Ortiz (1989) provided some data on its re- bib, 1994). However, it has been shown that fac- productive biology. Uribe-Alcocer et al. (1995) tors such as phylogenetic inertia (Ballinger, described the histological changes exhibited by 1983), foraging behavior (Vitt and Price, 1982), the ovaries in the female reproductive cycle. This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.52.76 on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:41:45 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions DIET AND REPRODUCTION OF SCELOPORUS TORQUATUS 105 20 Fourteen to 17 adults were sampled each month from November 1984 to November 1985. 16 Lizards were killed with ether and the following data taken: sex, snout-vent length (SVL; ?+ 0.1 E 12 mm), and body mass (BM; ?+ 0.1 g). Specimens -- Photoperiod were dissected and their stomach, gonads, and O- - 240 , a) 8 Temperature E (in the case of gravid females) oviductal eggs E C Rain -__ 160 - (developing embryos and yolk) extracted. Testes 0) were with an balance (+ - O3 weighed analytical 80 0.01 mg). The length and width of each testis (? 0 0.01 mm) were used to obtain the testicular vol- J FMAMJ JASOND ume (V), calculated using the volume of an el- lipsoid: V = (4/3)-r(L/2)(W/2)2. Ovaries were 0.01 and num- 20 weighed (? mg) ber of follicles and diameter of the largest fol- 0 16 licle recorded. In the case of gravid females, o both the number of corpora lutea and the di- '- 12 - ameter of the largest corpus (+ 0.01 mm) were Ca Temperature 2 also recorded. In addition, the entire comple- 8 = Rain 240 ----- ment of oviductal eggs was extracted. The em- E ---------------160 4 . bryos were weighed (? 0.01 mg) and their di- ameter measured (+ 0.01 mm). The develop- 0 F MAMnJ F 80 mental stage of the embryos was determined by J F M A M J JASOND comparison with the table of embryonic devel- Month opment for the viviparous lizard, Lacertavivipara FIG.1. Temperature,precipitation, and photoperi- (Defaure and Hubert, 1961). Embryos and yolk od; mean monthly values for the lower part of the were then dried to constant mass at 60?C. Rel- Pedregal de San Angel, Distrito Federal.Top: Means ative clutch (litter) mass (RCM) was calculated for 30 years of records. Bottom: Means for the sur- by dividing the total litter mass by the body a veyed year. Data obtained from meteorologicalsta- mass without the litter. Relative oviductal egg tion in the area. study mass (REM) was calculated by dividing the av- erage oviductal egg mass by the body mass Guillette and Mendez-de la Cruz (1993) report- without the litter. ed on the reproductive cycle of a population For each specimen, stomach volume was mea- from Cerro Gordo, near San Juan Teotihuacain, sured with and without its food contents by vol- in the state of Mexico. We describe the repro- umetric displacement, and the difference be- ductive cycle of a population of S. t. torquatus tween these two volumes was used to estimate from the Pedregal de San Angel, Distrito Fed- the volume of stomach contents. Stomach con- eral, Mexico. In addition, nutritional depen- tents were identified to the order level whenever dence of the embryos is analyzed, and diets for possible. The number of items of each prey tax- the dry and wet seasons are provided. on was recorded. A Petri dish containing the stomach contents was placed over a paper sheet MATERIALS AND METHODS with a millimetric scale on it, and the area cov- Study Area.-The study was carried out in the ered by each prey taxon on the paper, as well as lower part of the Pedregal de San Angel, Dis- those areas covered by unidentified material trito Federal, Mexico (99?13'-99?08'W longitude, (parasites, inorganic, plant, and organic but 19?14'-19?18'N latitude), at an elevation of 2250- very digested matter) was estimated. Finally, the 2300 m. The area is covered with solidified lava volume of each item (SVO, for item i) was cal- flows from the Xitle volcano; the crevices in culated by the equation: SVOi = (AOi/ASC) these volcanic rocks serve as shelters for the liz- SCV, where AOi is the area covered by the item ards. Vegetation consists of microphilous scrub, i, ASC is the total area covered by the stomach dominated by Senecio praecox and Schinus molle contents, and SCV the stomach contents volume. (Rzedowski, 1954). The climate is temperate The volume, incidence (number of stomachs in subhumid with rainfall occurring mainly from which a given prey item was found) and num- May to October (wet season) and a dry winter ber of organisms (density) of each prey taxon (Fig.
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