title: Reproduction of a whiptail lizard (Ameivula ocellifera, Teiidae) from a coastal area in northeastern Brazil.
abstract: The reproductive ecology of Ameivula ocellifera was studied from September 2009 to August 2010 in a coastal area of the state of Ceará, Brazil. Females reproduced continuously throughout the year, with a peak at the end of the rainy season. Even though there was a predominance of pre-reproductive individuals in the sample, gonadal activity of males peaked synchronously to female reproduction. Mean clutch size was 1.98 ± 0.56 and positively associated with female body size, while mean egg volume was 510.54 ± 84.29 mm3 and unrelated to female body size. We did not find any association between clutch size and average egg volume.
authors.affiliation: Núcleo Regional de Ofiologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará (NUROF-UFC), CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Djan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zanchi-Silva
authors.affiliation: Núcleo Regional de Ofiologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará (NUROF-UFC), CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Diva M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Borges-Nojosa
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Conrado A B
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Galdino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D008116:Lizards / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology