Boa constrictor (Boa Constrictor). Reproduction: Facultative Parthenogenesis

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Herpetological Review 44(1), 2013
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 151
(NCSM 79738). Brian J. O’Shea helped confirm identification of
the skull.
JEFFREY C. BEANE, North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences,
Research Laboratory, MSC # 1626, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1626,
USA (e-mail: je.beane@ncdenr.gov); JOHN A. GERWIN, North Carolina
State Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 West Jones St., Raleigh, North Caro-
lina 27601, USA (e-mail: john.gerwin@ncdenr.gov); DEBRA A. CARR, 4960
Hwy. 15 South, Sumter, South Carolina 29150, USA (e-mail: wasat8082@
yahoo.com).
AMPHIESMA STOLATUM (Striped Keelback). PREDATION.
Amphiesma stolatum is a small (to 80 cm total length) diurnal
snake found throughout South and Southeast Asia. It is one of
the most common snakes in this region, found in villages, paddy
fields, thick grass, bushes, and gardens (Whitaker and Captain
2004. The Snakes of India. Draco Books, India. 481 pp.). Herein,
we report predation by a free ranging chicken on an adult A. sto-
latum from a village adjacent to Lawachara National Park, Ban-
gladesh (25.8907694°N, 088.8502083°E; datum WGS 84). On 15
April 2012, at ca. 1100 h, while conducting a visual herpetological
survey in the village, we observed an adult domestic chicken in
a backyard garden preying upon an adult A. stolaum (Fig. 1). It is
likely that many other birds prey upon A. stolatum as well.
We thank The Orianne Society and Center for Advanced Re-
search and Natural Management, for funding and logistical sup-
port. The field work was conducted under the forest department
permit given to S.M.A. Rashid (permit: 2M-47/11).
SHAHRIAR CAESAR RAHMAN, Department of Environmental Sci-
ence, Independent University, Bangladesh (e-mail: Caesar_rahman2004@
yahoo.com); KANAI ROBI DAS, Lawachara Snake Research and Conserva-
tion Project, Lawachara L.N.P, Komolgonj, Bangladesh.
ATRACTUS GUENTHERI (Günther’s Ground Snake). REPRO-
DUCTION. Atractus guentheri has a very restricted distribution in
the coastal Atlantic Rainforest in the southeast of the state of Ba-
hia, Brazil (Fernandes and Argôlo 1995. Bol. Mus. Nacional, Nova
Série, Zoologia 397:1–5; Passos et al. 2010. Zootaxa 2364:1–63).
Many aspects of its natural history are poorly known with nothing
reported about reproduction (Fernandes and Puorto 1993. Mem.
Inst. Butantan, 55:7–14). Here we provide the first data on clutch
size, egg morphometry, and timing of oviposition for A. guentheri.
At 1830 h on 07 December 2011, during the rainy season in
the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil, an adult female A. guentheri (SVL
= 427 mm, tail length = 43 mm) was captured by local farmers
crossing a dirt road 15 m from a large river (Rio de Contas) near
the city of Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil (14.7976°S, 39.2334°W, datum
WGS84; elev. 38 m). The road passed through vegetation lo-
cally known as Cabruca, a Cacao plantation system that retains
the largest trees. Two days post capture, the female deposited
six white elliptical eggs. Mean egg measurements were: length
= 30.2 mm (range = 27.8–32.7 mm); width = 11.3 mm (range =
10.8–11.8 mm); mass = 2.67 g (range = 2.4–2.9 g). Unfortunately,
all eggs were lost during incubation and their fertility could not
be assessed. The A. guentheri was deposited at the Reptile Col-
lection of Museu de Zoologia da Universidade Federal da Bahia
(MZUFBA–2382).
Breno Hamdan and Daniela Coelho provided helpful sugges-
tions on the manuscript.
THIAGO FILADELFO, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia da
Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, CEP: 70910-
900, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil (e-mail: thiago_bioufba@yahoo.com.
br); MILENA CAMARDELLI, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e
Biomonitoramento da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campus de Ondina,
CEP: 40170-110, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (e-mail: milenacamardelli@yahoo.
com.br); RAFAEL OLIVEIRA DE ABREU, Programa de Pós-Graduação em
Diversidade Animal da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campus de Ondina,
CEP: 40170-110, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (e-mail: rafaoabreu@gmail.com).
BOA CONSTRICTOR (Boa Constrictor). REPRODUCTION /
FACULTATIVE PARTHENOGENESIS. Facultative parthenogen-
esis is the alternation between sexual and asexual reproduction
(Booth et al. 2011. J. Hered. 102:759–763). In vertebrates, faculta-
tive parthenogenesis has mostly been recorded in captive ani-
mals, but recently documented in wild populations (e.g., snakes;
Booth et al. 2012. Biol. Lett. in press). This mode of partheno-
genesis is rare in reptiles (Lampert 2008. Sex Dev. 2:290–301).
In lizards, it has only been reported in Phymaturus patagonicus
(Chiszar et al. 1999. Herpetol. Rev. 30:98), monitor lizards (Lenk
et al. 2005. Amphibia-Reptilia 26:507–514), and Komodo Dragons
(Watts et al. 2006. Nature 444:1021–1022). In snakes, facultative
parthenogenesis has been reported pitvipers, Agkistrodon con-
tortrix and A. piscivorus (Schuett et al. 1998. Herpetol. Nat. Hist.
5:1–10; Booth and Schuett 2011. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 934–942; Booth
et al. 2012, op. cit.), and in the boid Epicrates maurus (Booth et
al. 2011. J. Hered. 102:759–763). Recently, Booth et al. (2011, op.
FiG. 1. Agkistrodon contortrix with attempted meal (head of a Corvus
ossifragus, Fish Crow) that proved fatal.
FiG. 1. Predation by a free ranging chicken on an adult Amphiesma
stolatum.

Herpetological Review 44(1), 2013
152 NATURAL HISTORY NOTES
cit.) recorded the first evidence of facultative parthenogenesis in
Boa constrictor. Here we report the second record of facultative
parthenogenesis in captivity for B. constrictor.
A female B. constrictor, born in captivity (July 2003), was
maintained in complete isolation in a glass enclosure with light-
ing and constant temperature between 28 and 32°C and was fed
weekly. On 27 May 2012, RALR and BCLB recorded that the snake
(SVL = 1700 mm, 3340 g) gave birth to 20 dead all male hatchlings
and ten infertile ova. The average measurements of the offspring
were: SVL = 259 ± 1.13 mm (range = 208–312 mm); tail length =
39 ± 0.15 mm (range = 32–45 mm); 18.5 ± 1 g (range = 14.3–23.9
g). No malformations were present. We cannot distinguish the
reason for the death of hatchlings, but one month before par-
turition metronidazole medication was administered as an an-
tibiotic. The dead hatchlings and the ova are deposited in the
Colección Nacional de Anfibios y Reptiles, Instituto de Biología,
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
We thank the Lara-Resendiz family for care of the boa and
Christopher Blair for helpful comments that improved the man-
uscript.
RAFAEL A. LARA-RESENDIZ (e-mail: rlara@ibiologia.unam.mx), BÁR-
BARA C. LARRAÍN BARRIOS (e-mail: blarrain@ibunam2.ibiologia.unam.
mx), ANÍBAL H. DÍAZ DE LA VEGA-PÉREZ (e-mail: ahelios@ibiologia.
unam.mx), Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto de Biología, Universi-
dad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70515, CP 04510, Distrito Federal,
México; ERIC CENTENERO-ALCALÁ, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
México, Campus Iztacala, Av. de Los Barrios No. 1, Los Reyes Iztacala, AP
314, CP 54090, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, México (e-mail: eca_46@
hotmail.com).
CONOPHIS VITTATUS (Striped Road Guarder). DEFENSIVE
BEHAVIOR / DEATH FEIGNING. Thanatosis or death feigning
behavior has been reported in several species of snakes (Gehl-
bach 1970. Herpetologica 26:24–34; Zeeshan et. al. 2011. Herpe-
tol. Notes 4:295–267). On 14 February 2012, at 1930 h, I found
an adult C. vittatus (SVL = 330 mm) under a log in the ecotone
between tropical deciduous forest and oak forest in the Mu-
nicipality of Villa Purificación, Jalisco, Mexico (19.782505°N,
104.719172°W, datum WGS84; elev. 585 m). Immediately upon
capture the snake displayed typical defensive behavior: agita-
tion, coiled posture, fast movements, musk production, and
biting attempts. The snake was placed in a bag for further pho-
tography. When released, it rotated the anterior third of its body
onto its back with its mouth wide open and tongue sticking out
(Fig. 1) and did not demonstrate any reaction to manipulation.
After approximately 1 min, the snake rotated the full length of its
body and remained immobile on its back. I was able to handle
the specimen for about 11 min. before the snake began to react
and attempt to escape. Photographs of the snake were deposited
at University of Texas Arlington Digital Collection (UTADC 7499,
7500, 7574).
I thank Simón Guerrero Cruz and José Carlos Arenas for com-
ments on the manuscript and Mario A. Iñiguez for field work.
IVÁN T. AHUMADA-CARRILLO (e-mail: lepidus320@hotmail.com),
Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad
de Guadalajara, Carretera a Nogales Km. 15.5, Las Agujas, Nextipac, Zapo-
pan, Jalisco, México.
CONTIA TENUIS (Common Sharp-tailed Snake). ALBINISM.
Despite high population densities throughout the northern Cali-
fornia portion of its range, little is known about Contia tenuis
(Hoyer et al. 2006. Northwest. Nat. 87:195–202) and aberrant
phenotypes in this species are rarely observed (R. Hoyer, pers.
comm.). Here I report on albinism in C. tenuis.
At 1350 h on 11 February 2012, I found an aberrant Contia
tenuis in Bidwell Park, Chico, Butte Co., California, USA
(39.7458°N, 121.8086°W; datum: WGS84). The specimen was a
juvenile, approximately 118 mm (total length), lacking normal
pigmentation in the skin and eyes, suggesting albinism (Fig. 1A).
The snake was found thermoregulating under a piece of plywood
lying beneath a large Valley Oak (Quercus lobata). According to
Bechtel (1995. Reptile and Amphibian Variants: Colors, Patterns,
and Scales. Krieger Publ. Co., Melbourne, Florida. 206 pp.), “true
albinism in snakes is a congenital decrease or absence of mel-
anin in the skin, mucosa, and eyes.” This description seems ap-
propriate, considering the pink eyes and pale, pinkish orange
dorsum of this specimen. Further, the venter was light colored,
rather than the typical alternating, dark-light pattern of the belly
scutes in normal individuals of this species (Fig. 1B).
FiG. 1. Death-feigning behavior in Conophis vittatus from Jalisco,
Mexico.
FiG. 1. A) Albino Contia tenuis from Butte Co., California. B) Venter
showing lack of melanin in belly scutes.
COLOR REPRODUCTION SUPPORTED BY THE THOMAS BEAUVAIS FUND