Miscellaneous Notes on the Reproductive Biology of Reptiles. 4. Eight Species of the Family Boidae, Genera Acrantophis, Aspidites, Candoia, Liasis and Python

Abstract

Sequences of courtship and copulation, egg-laying and parturition, with data on the neonates are presented for eight boid taxa: Acrantophis dumerili, A. madagascariensis, Aspidites melanocephalus, Candoia bibroni, Liasis boa, L. childreni, L. mackloti and Python boeleni. The functional use of spurs during courtship is recorded in Acrantophis dumerili, A. madagascariensis, Aspidites melanocephalus, Candoia bibroni and Python boeleni. Combat preceding courtship between males occurs in A. melanocephalus and A. dumerili. In an earlier contribution, Murphy et al. (1978) described sequences of courtship and copulation, egg-laying and parturition with data on the neonates for eleven boid taxa. These authors provided some descriptions for spur usage in boid snakes. Combat between male boid snakes has been reported in Sanzinia madagascariensis (Carpenter et al., 1978), Aspidites melanocephalus and Python molurus (Barker et al., 1979). In captive P. molurus, a linear social hierarchy was formulated which was reinforced by male combat, and breeding sequences were accomplished according to the hierarchial position of a male. This paper provides additional reproductive data and combat sequences in some snakes mentioned by Murphy et al. (1978), and incorporates information on other taxa of captive boids. MATERIALS AND METHODS All observations were carried out at the Dallas Zoo with captive snakes. Taxonomic allocations follow McDowell (1975, 1979) and Guibe (1949, 1958). Thermal environments were established for the specimens observed on the basis of studies by Cogger and Holmes (1960), Hutchison et al. (1966), Vinegar et al. (1970), Webb and Heatwole (1971), Johnson et al. (1975), This content downloaded from 207.46.13.172 on Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:00:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 40 TRANSACTIONS OF THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Johnson (1972, 1973, 1977) and Van Mierop and Barnard (1976, 1978). Ambient temperature varied between 27-34?C. Thermal gradients were made available to all snakes by using infra-red bulbs to create hot spots which reached 34.0 + 2.0oC in temperature. Impregnated females regularly used these basking sites. Skylights provided a natural photoperiod, and fluorescent lights (cool white, 25-40 watt/l 10 volt) were used to provide additional illumination. Artificial light durations were altered to correspond to a natural photoperiod. Eggs were measured with a vernier caliper to the nearest 1.0 mm and weighed with a triple-beam balance to the nearest 0. 1 gram. Neonates were measured to the nearest 1.0 mm (Quinn and Jones, 1974). Hiding boxes with damp sphagnum moss were provided for gravid females, and eggs were hatched using the method of Tryon (1975). The incubation temperature was 32 ? 1.0'C for the eggs. Relative humidity averaged 50 percent. All snakes were fed freshly killed laboratory rodents and chicks, and drinking water was available ad libitum. Courtship terminology follows Gillingham (1974, 1976) and Gillingham et al. (1977).