Reproductive and Fat Body Cycles of the Tropical Sand Lizard (Liolaemus lutzae) of Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The reproductive and fat body cycle of the tropidurid lizard Liolaemus lutzae was studied in the tropical seasonal habitat of Restinga da Barra de Marici Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Females have a marked seasonality in reproduction (September to March), possibly correlated with rainfall. Females store fat in fat bodies during drought periods, investing it in the production of the first clutch in the beginning of the reproductive season. Recruitment of juveniles began in the middle of December and ended in May-June of the following year. The minimum size at maturity for females (51.5 mm SVL) was smaller than that of males (61.1 mm SVL). Clutch size varied from one to four eggs, most frequently two. Female body size explained only a small part of the variation in clutch size. The simultaneous occurrence of yolking follicles and corpora lutea in some females together with the abdominal palping of marked females in the field suggests that at least two clutches may be produced per reproductive season.