Reproductive Biology of Three Sympatric Species of Gymnophthalmid Lizards from the Sand Dunes of the Middle São Francisco River, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Abstract. Gymnophthalmidae is a Neotropical family that comprises small- to medium-sized lizards and a huge diversity of morphologies and habitats. Although they have been broadly targeted in several systematics studies, the knowledge of their reproductive biology is still poorly known, especially for fossorial species like Calyptommatus leiolepis, Nothobachia ablephara, and Procellosaurinus tetradactylus, sympatric species from the dune fields at Sao Francisco River, Bahia, Brazil. We analyzed gonads of 388 specimens of C. leiolepis, 180 of N. ablephara, and 47 of P. tetradactylus from Alagoado sand dunes, Bahia. Females are larger than males in all species and there is no sexual dimorphism in head shape. The three species undergo extended, possibly continuous, reproduction. Variation of testes volume was observed only in C. leiolepis, with lower values between August and December; however, sperm production was detected within this period. Clutch size always comprised two eggs and there was no correlatio...