The Reproductive Cycle of the Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei), an Introduced Lizard Species in Taiwan

Gerrut Norval, Stephen R. Goldberg, Jean-Jay Mao

Abstract


During two collection periods, of 13 and 15 months respectively, seven hundred and forty-three brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) were collected from Santzepu, Sheishan District, Chiayi County (23°25’51’’ N 120°28’30’’ E). The lizards were measured and dissected to determine the reproductive cycle of this invasive species in Taiwan. The smallest female showing sexual maturity had a snout-vent length of 34 mm, while that of the smallest male was 30 mm. Reproduction was seasonal, and ovigerous females were maximal from April to September and declined to zero in January, while in the males, the mean testis mass and volume was maximal from April to June, and minimal from October to December. The majority of the males collected in the period from February to August were in a stage of spermiogenesis, while from September to January spermatogenesis appeared to be minimal. Males with spermatozoa, which could mate, were present throughout both study periods. This study demonstrated that the reproductive cycle of the Anolis sagrei population in Taiwan is long and cyclic, and that it is very similar to that of conspecific populations in Belize, Cuba, Florida, and Hawaii. In view of the potential for A. sagrei taking over new territories, drastic steps are merited to prevent future introductions of this species.

Keywords


Norops sagrei; exotic lizard; founder population; invasive species

Full Text:

PDF PDF

References


Calsbeek R., Bonneaud C., Prabhu S., Manoukis N., and Smith T. B. (2007), «Multiple paternity and sperm storage lead to increased genetic diversity in Anolis lizards», Evol. Ecol. Res., 9, 495 – 503.

Campbell T. S. (1996), «Northern range expansion of the brown anole (Anolis sagrei) in Florida and Georgia», Herpetol. Rev., 27, 155 – 157.

Eales J., Thorpe R. S., and Malhotra A. (2008), «Weak founder effect signal in a recent introduction of Caribbean Anolis», Mol. Ecol., 17, 1416 – 1426.

Fox W. (1963), «Special tubules for sperm storage in female lizards», Nature, 198, 500 – 501.

Goldberg S. R. and Bursey C. R. (2000), «Transport of helminths to Hawaii via the brown anole, Anolis sagrei (Polychrotidae)», J. Parasitol., 86, 750 – 755.

Goldberg S. R., Kraus F., and Bursey C. R. (2002), «Reproduction in an introduced population of the brown anole, Anolis sagrei, from Oahu, Hawaii», Pacific Sci., 56, 163 – 168.

Huang S. C., Norval G., and Tso I. M. (2008a), «Predation by an exotic lizard, Anolis sagrei, alters the ant community structure in betelnut palm plantations in southern Taiwan», Ecol. Entomol., 33, 569 – 576.

Huang S. C., Norval G., Wei C. S., and Tso I. M. (2008b), «Effects of the brown anole invasion and betelnut palm planting on arthropod diversity in southern Taiwan», Zool. Sci., 25, 1121 – 1129.

Kraus F. (2009), Alien Reptiles and Amphibians. A Scientific Compendium and Analysis, Springer, New York.

Lee J. C., Clayton D., Eisenstein S., and Perez I. (1989), «The reproductive cycle of Anolis sagrei in southern Florida», Copeia, 1989(4), 930 – 937.

Losos J. B., Marks J. C., and Schoener T. W. (1993), «Habitat use and ecological interaction of an introduced and native species of Anolis lizard on Grand Cayman, with a review of the outcomes on anole introductions», Oecologia, 95, 525 – 532.

Losos J. B., Schoener T. W., and Spiller D. A. (2003), «Effect of immersion in seawater on egg survival in the lizard Anolis sagrei», Oecologia, 137, 360 – 362.

Norval G., Bursey C. R., Goldberg S. R., Mao J. J., and Slater K. (2011), «Origin of the helminth community of an exotic invasive lizard, the brown anole, Anolis sagrei (Squamata: Polychrotidae), in southwestern Taiwan», Pacific Sci., 65, 383 – 390.

Norval G. and Mao J. J. (2007), «Can Anolis sagrei be unintentionally transported to new localities in bamboo stem bundles?» Sauria, 29, 51 – 54.

Norval G., Tung C. L., and Cooper J. E. (2005), «A report of hepatic granuloma in free-living brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) in Taiwan: two cases», Herpetol. Bull., 93, 9 – 13.

Norval G., Tung C. L., and Cooper J. E. (2006), «Anolis sagrei (Brown Anole). Testicular pathology», Herpetol. Rev., 37, 219 – 220.

Pullin A. S. (2002), Conservation Biology, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge.

Reaney L. T. and Whiting M. J. (2002), «Life on a limb: ecology of the tree agama (Acanthocercus a. atricollis) in southern Africa», J. Zool. Lond., 257, 439 – 448.

Rodriguez Schettino L. R. (1999), The Iguanid Lizards of Cuba, Univ. Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Schoener T. W. and Spiller D. A. (1996), «Devastation of prey diversity by experimentally introduced predators in the field», Nature, 381, 691 – 694.

Schoener T. W., Spiller D. A., and Losos J. B. (2002), «Predation on a common Anolis lizard: can the food-web effects of a devastating predator be reversed?» Ecol. Monogr., 72, 383 – 407.

Sever D. M. and Hamlett W. C. (2002), «Female sperm storage in reptiles», J. Exp. Zool., 292, 187 – 199.

Sexton O. J. and Brown K. M. (1977), «The reproductive cycle of an iguanid lizard Anolis sagrei, from Belize», J. Nat. Hist., 11, 241 – 250.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2012-19-1-75–81

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.



You can subscribe to the print or electronic version of the journal on the site of EastView Company. If you have any questions, please write to the email sales@ivis.ru