Reproductive biology of two sympatric species of the family Gymnophthalmidae in the region of the São Francisco River dunes, state of Bahia

• Grant number: 13/03318-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2013
• End date: June 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Miguel Trefaut Urbano Rodrigues
• Grantee: Miguel Trefaut Urbano Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The description of the reproductive biology of reptiles has allowed formulating hypotheses about the evolution of life history, a better understanding of the forces of natural selection acting on particular species and more effective conservation strategies. The neotropical family Gymnophthalmidae comprises small to medium sized lizards which present high morphological and habitat diversity. Some genera of the Gymnophthalmidae are known by having elongated bodies with a pronounced limb reduction. Although they are targets of recent molecular studies, the knowledge about their reproductive biology is virtually null. Calyptommatus leiolepis and Nothobachia ablephara are two sympatrics species of "legless" lizards whose ecology is poorly know, with only a few studies about their food habits and interspecific completion for resources. This project aims to describe and compare the reproduction biology of these species in order to identify the breeding season, sex ratio, size, weight and age at sexual maturity in males and females and the abiotic factors that are related to the initiation of the reproductive period. It will also be characterized and compared the chemical composition of the pheromones of the two species trough the secretion of pre-anal pores and cloacal swabs in order to verify the potential importance of these factors in chemical communication between species of "legless" lizards of the family Gymnophthalmidae. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RAMIRO, CAROLINA NISA; TEIXEIRA JUNIOR, MAURO; RODRIGUES, MIGUEL TREFAUT. Reproductive Biology of Three Sympatric Species of Gymnophthalmid Lizards from the Sand Dunes of the Middle Sao Francisco River, Bahia, Brazil. South American Journal of Herpetology, v. 12, n. 1, p. 76-88, APR 2017. (13/03318-1)