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Permission for any such activities must be sought in advance from the Editor. ADVERTISEMENTS The Herpetological Journal accepts advertisements subj ect to approval of contents by the Managing Editor, to whom enquiries should be addressed. British Herpetological Society website: http://www.thebhs.org FRONT COVER: Chamaeleo chamaeleon (P. Edgar) HERPETOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Vol. 12, pp. 89-97 (2002) REPRODUCTION OF TROPIDURUS MONTANUS RODRIGUES, 1987 (TROPIDURIDAE), A LIZARD FROM A SEASONAL HABITAT OF SOUTH­ EASTERN BRAZIL, AND A COMPARISON WITH OTHER TROPIDURUS SPECIES 1 1 2 MONIQUE VAN SLUYS , HENRI MAXIMILIANO A. MENDES , VINICIUS B. ASSIS AND MARA CfNTIA KIEFER3 1 Ecologia, lnstituto de Biologia Roberto Alciintara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Ja neiro, Rua Sao Francisco Xavier 524, RJ, Brazil 1Pos-Graduar;ao em Biologia Animal, PUC, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil 3Pos Graduar;ao em Ecologia, IB, UN/CA MP, Cx .P. 6109, 13081-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil The reproductive and fat body cycles of the lizard Trop idurus montanus (Tropiduridae) were studied in a seasonal, open habitat at Minas Gerais State, south-eastern Brazil. Lizards were sampled monthly from June 1996 to June 1997. Reproductive females were found from August to January. The smallest reproductive female was 56.5 mm in body size, and was collected in December. Mean clutch size (± 1 SO), based on counts ofeggs or follicles, was 3.48± 1.15, and was significantly related to female body size. Reproductive males were fo und throughout the year, but their frequency ofoccurrence varied greatly between months. The smallest reproductive male had a SVL of60.6 mm, and was collected in August. For both sexes, fat-bodymass (adjusted for body length) was greatest during the non-reproductive season. Key words: lizards, reproduction, seasonality, south-easternBrazil, Tropidurus INTRODUCTION (Dunham & Miles, 1985; Dunham et al., 1988; Miles & Dunham, 1992). Vitt (1992) analysed the reproductive A wide variety of reproductive strategies is known characteristics of lizards in different Brazilian sites and within lizards, and a maj or distinction between temper­ observed a diversity of reproductive strategies among ate and tropical species has been made concerning species within single localities. He argued that ifthe en­ reproductive patterns(Tinkle et al., 1970). According vironment was the main cause of variation, sympatric to this generalization, reproduction of temperate species species would be expected to be more similar in their re­ is seasonal and mainly affected by temperature and pho­ productive characteristics than different populations of toperiod (Tinkle et al., 1970; Licht, 1971), whereas in the same species, whereas evolutionary history seemed tropical lizards reproduction is considered to be to have a stronger influence. Nevertheless, while varia­ aseasonal (Tinkle et al., 1970; Benabib, 1994). How­ tion in reproductive patterns seems to be affected by ever, such a broad generalization diffe rentiating evolutionary history, within some species of lizards between temperate and tropical species no longer ex­ variation exists that mightbe attributed to the local envi­ plains the diversity of reproductive patterns found in ronment. For example, Colli ( 1991) and Vitt Colli lizards. This is mainly because reproduction of many & (1994) found that for the tropical lizard Ameiva ameiva tropical species is now known to be related to seasonal (Teiidae) some life history characteristics differ among changes in temperature, rainfall, humidity or ultraviolet different populations, including the relationship be­ light (Sexton et al., 1971; Magnusson, 1987; Rocha, tween female body size, clutch size and the length of the 1992; Clerke & Alford, 1993; Wiederhecker, 1999). reproductive season. These differences were mainly at­ Sherbrooke ( 1975) went a step further, and grouped the tributed to differences in predictability of rainfall, reproductive tactics of tropical lizards into three main indicating that local environmental factors may also af­ categories: (1) continuous reproduction; (2) continuous fe ct reproduction in tropical lizards. with variation in reproductive activity; and (3) non-con­ Abdominal fat bodies are important lipid storage or­ tinuous. Vitt & Goldberg (1983) stated that a single gans in lizards and exhibit a seasonal cycle in many reproductive pattern for tropical lizards was, thus far, not evident, and the actual determinantsof seasonality in species (Derickson, 1976). These cycles tend to be in­ versely related to reproductive cycles because lipid tropical lizards remain unclear (Vitt, 1992). stored in fat bodies is used for reproduction (Derickson, Evolutionary history has an overriding effe ct on most 1976; Guillette Casas-Andreu, 1981; Vitt Cooper, lizard life history traits, including reproduction, espe­ & & 1985). In females, fat bodiesmay be used during vitello­ cially when considering higher taxonomic levels genesis, and in males they can be used for sperm production or courtship behaviour (Guillette & Sullivan, 1985; Benabib, 1994 ). Although recognizing Co rrespondence: M. Van Sluys, Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Universidade do Estado that the relationship between reproduction and fat bod­ do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Sao Francisco Xavier 524, Maracana, ies should also exist in tropical lizards, Magnusson 20550-0 13, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. E-mail: ( 1987) proposed it would be weaker for tropical species [email protected] than for temperate ones. 90 M. VAN SLUYS ET AL. The South American genus Tropidurus comprises mainly heliophilous, insectivorous lizards, living in 300 open habitats, from semi-arid caatinga to seasonal cerrado, and to mesic lowland forests, where they oc­ 200 cupy different microhabitats (Rodrigues, 1988; Vitt, 1993). Because these lizards have broad geographic 100 'E ranges - and as many as four species may occur in ,§, sympatry or syntopy - they are ideal models for the ..J ..J 80 study of variation in reproduction of tropical lizards. In 11_ general, when in seasonal habitats, these lizards have z <( 60 -i er: m non-continuous reproduction with most reproduction 30 s: ""tl occurring during the dry-wet season (T. spinulosus - m :;o Cruz et al. , 1997; T. etheridgei - Cruz, 1997; Cruz et al., )> 40 ..... _____ .... -1 - 20 1998; T. itambere - Van Sluys, 1993; T. nanuzae c :;o Galdino, 2000; T. torquatus - Wiederhecker, 1999; T. m ,..... ° hispidus - Prieto et al., 1976), or dry season [T. (for­ 20 10 merly Platynotus) semitaeniatus - Vitt & Goldberg, g 1983]. Possible exceptions may be T. torquatus, at a J FM AMJ JASO ND coastal area in Espirito Santo State (south-eastern Bra­ zil) where, despite seasonality in rainfall, females MONTH carrying oviductal eggs were found throughout the year w W-D D D-W W (Teixeira & Giovanelli, 1999), and T. hispidus (for­ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'!!!!!-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! __ !!!!!!!!!!!'!!!!!!!!!!!!!! merly T. torquatus), at a seasonal habitat in north-eastern Brazil, which has an extended reproduc­ FIG. I. Mean (1971-1990) monthly rainfall (in mm) and temperature (in °C) for Santana do Riacho, close to Serra do tive season lasting 11 months (Vitt & Goldberg, 1983). Cip6, Minas Gerais. The continuous line represents rainfall Tropidurus montanus Rodrigues, 1987 is a medium­ and the dashed line represents temperature. Bars below graph sized tropidurid endemic to the mountainous region of indicate the wet (W), dry (D) and transition (W-D and D-W) the Espinharyo mountain range, east of Minas Gerais seasons. State, south-easternBrazil (Rodrigues, 1987). We stud­ ied the reproductive cycle of