Ecology of Mabuya agilis (Raddi) (Lacertilia, Scincidae) at the restinga of Grumari, Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil

Vrcibradic, Davor; Rocha, Carlos Frederico Duarte

doi:10.1590/S0101-81752002000600002

Abstract

Some aspects of the ecology of the skink Mabuya agilis (Raddi, 1823) at the restinga habitat of Grumari, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are studied. Most of the lizards were first sighted on the ground, though a few were using perches (mainly cacti) up to 30 cm high. Mean body temperature in activity was 33.1 ± 2.4ºC and was significantly correlated to air temperature. There was sexual dimorphism in size (snout-vent length - SVL), with females growing larger than males. Frequency of broken tails was high overall (83%) and did not differ between sexes. Females and males are sexually mature at 49 mm and 47 mm SVL, respectively. Brood size averaged 3.2 ± 1.0 (range 1-5) and was positively and significantly related to female SVL (r = 0.65, p = 0.001). Relative clutch mass (RCM) of seven gravid females averaged 0.250 ± 0.042, being relatively low compared to those of other congeners. The diet of M. agilis was composed basically of arthropods, with relatively large and soft-bodied arthropods such as spiders, caterpillars and homopterans being the most important prey. The results of our work confirm and expand the knowledge of ecological tendencies previously observed for M. agilis in other areas.

Mabuya agilis; lizard; thermal ecology; diet; reproductive traits; restinga habitat; southeastern Brazil

Ecology of Mabuya agilis (Raddi) (Lacertilia, Scincidae) at the restinga of Grumari, Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil

Davor Vrcibradic^I,II,^* * Corresponding author ; Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha^I

^ISetor de Ecologia, DBAV, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

^IIPós-Graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Caixa Postal 6109,13081-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil. E-mail: vdavor@uol.com.br

ABSTRACT

Some aspects of the ecology of the skink Mabuya agilis (Raddi, 1823) at the restinga habitat of Grumari, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are studied. Most of the lizards were first sighted on the ground, though a few were using perches (mainly cacti) up to 30 cm high. Mean body temperature in activity was 33.1 ± 2.4ºC and was significantly correlated to air temperature. There was sexual dimorphism in size (snout-vent length - SVL), with females growing larger than males. Frequency of broken tails was high overall (83%) and did not differ between sexes. Females and males are sexually mature at 49 mm and 47 mm SVL, respectively. Brood size averaged 3.2 ± 1.0 (range 1-5) and was positively and significantly related to female SVL (r = 0.65, p = 0.001). Relative clutch mass (RCM) of seven gravid females averaged 0.250 ± 0.042, being relatively low compared to those of other congeners. The diet of M. agilis was composed basically of arthropods, with relatively large and soft-bodied arthropods such as spiders, caterpillars and homopterans being the most important prey. The results of our work confirm and expand the knowledge of ecological tendencies previously observed for M. agilis in other areas.

Key words:Mabuya agilis, lizard, thermal ecology, diet, reproductive traits, restinga habitat, southeastern Brazil

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. This study is a portion of the results of the "Programa de Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo de Ecossistemas do Sudeste Brasileiro" and of the Eastern Brazilian Vertebrate Ecology Project, both of the Setor de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. We thank P.F. Teixeira-Filho, M. Cunha Barros, H.L.T. Zaluar and L.C. Prado for their help during fieldwork. The first author benefitted from a graduate fellowship (Process 143607/ 98-7 NV) and the second author from research grants (Processes 300819/ 94-3 NV and 461970/00-7 APQ), all given by the Conselho Nacional do Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (CNPq). This study was also partially supported by a grant from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - FAPERJ (Process E-26/170.385/97). Field collections of lizards were made under permit of the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Naturais Renovéveis - IBAMA (Process 03486/99-85).

Received in 12.VII.2002; accepted in 05.XI.2002.

Araújo, A.F.B. 1991. Structure of a white sand-dune lizard community of coastal Brazil. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 51:857-865.
Araújo, D.S.D. & R.P.B. Henriques. 1984. Análise florística das restingas do Rio de Janeiro, p. 159-193. In: L.D. Lacerda; D.S.D. Araújo; R. Cerqueira & B. Turcq. (Eds.). Restingas: Origem, Estrutura, Processos. Niterói, Centro Editorial UFF, 475p.
Dufaure, J.P. & J. Hubert. 1961. Table de developpement de lézard vivipare, Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara Jacquin. Arch. Anat. Microscop. Morphol. Exp. 50:309-328.
Eiten. G. 1992. Natural Brazilian vegetation types and their causes. An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc. 64 (Suppl. 1):35-65.
Hatano, F.H.; D. Vrcibradic; C.A.B. Galdino; M. Cunha-Barros; C.F.D. Rocha & M. van Sluys. 2001. Thermal ecology and activity patterns of the lizard community of the restinga of Jurubatiba, Macaé, RJ. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 61:287-294.
Huey, R.B.; E.R. Pianka & L.J. Vitt. 2001. How often do lizards "run on empty"? Ecology 82:1 -7.
Pianka, E.R. 1970. Comparative autecology of the lizard Cnemidophorus tigris in different parts of its geographic range. Ecology 51:703-720.
Ramírez-Bautista. A.; C. Balderas-Valdivia & L.J. Vitt. 2000. Reproductive ecology of the whiptail lizard Cnemidophorus lineatissimus (Squamata: Teiidae) in a tropical dry forest. Copeia 2000:712-722.
Rocha, C.F.D. 1994. Introdução a ecologia de lagartos brasileiros, p. 39-57. In: A.T. Bernardes; L.B. Nascimento & G.A. Cotta (Eds). Herpetologia do Brasil. I. Belo Horizonte. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, 134p.
______. 2000. Biogeografia de répteis de restingas: distribuição, ocorrência e endemismos. p. 99-116. In: FA. Esteves & L.D. Lacerda (Eds). Ecologia de Restingas e Lagoas Costeiras. Macaé, NUPEM/UFRJ, 394p.
Rocha, C.F.D. & H.G. Bergallo. 1997. Intercommunity variation in the distribution of abundance of dominant lizard species in restinga habitats. Ci. Cult. 49:269-274.
Rocha, C.F.D. & D. Vrcibradic 1996. Thermal biology of two sympatric skinks (Mabuya macrorhyncha and Mabuya agilis) in a Brazilian restinga habitat. Austr. Jour. Ecol. 21:110-113.
______. 1999. Reproductive traits of two sympatric viviparous skinks (Mabuya macrorhyncha and Mabuya agilis) in a Brazilian restinga habitat. Herpetol. Jour. 9:43-53.
Rocha, C.F.D.; D. Vrcibradic & A.F.B. Araújo. 2000. Ecofisiologia de répteis de restingas brasileiras, p. 117-149. In: F.A. Esteves & L.D. Lacerda (Eds). Ecologia de Restingas e Lagoas Costeiras. Macaé, NUPEM/UFRJ, 394p.
Rocha, C.F.D.; G.F. Dutra; D. Vrcibradic & V.A. Menezes. 2002a. The terrestrial reptile fauna of the Abrolhos archipelago: species list and ecological aspects. Braz. Jour. Biol. 62:285-291.
Rocha, C.F.D.; D. Vrcibradic; R.L. Teixeira & M.G.T. Cuzzuol. 2002b. Interpopulational variation in litter size of the skink Mabuya agilis in southeastern Brazil. Copeia 2002:857-864.
Stevaux, M.N. 1993. Estratégia reprodutiva de Mabuya sp. (Sauria: Scincidae): um padrão geral de reprodução para o gênero na região neotropical. Rev. Nordestina Biol., João Pessoa, 8:61-86.
Suguio, T. & M.G. Tessler. 1984. Planícies de cordões litorâneos quaternários do Brasil, p. 15-25. In: L.D. Lacerda; D.S.D. Araújo; R. Cerqueira & B. Turcq (Eds). Restingas: Origem, Estrutura, Processos. Niterói, Centro Editorial da Univ. Federal Fluminense, 475p.
van Sluys, M.; D. Vrcibradic & C.F.D. Rocha. 2002. Tail loss in the syntopic lizards Tropidurus itambere (Tropiduridae) and Mabuya frenata (Scincidae) in southeastern Brazil. Stud. Neotrop. Fauna Environ. 37:227-231.
Vanzolini, P.E. 1988. Distributional patterns of South American lizards, p. 317-342. In: P.E. Vanzolini & W.R. Heyer (Eds). Proceedings of a Workshop on Neotropical Distribution Patterns. Rio de Janeiro, Academia Brasileira de Ciências.
Vitt, L.J. 1981. Tail autotomy and regeneration in the tropical skink, Mabuya heathi. Jour. Herpetol. 15:454-457.
______. 1991. An introduction to the ecology of Cerrado lizards. Jour. Herpetol. 25:79-90.
Vitt, L.J. & J.D. Conodon. 1978. Body shape, reproductive effort, and relative clutch mass in lizards: resolution of a paradox. Amer. Nat. 112:595-608.
Vitt, L.J. & H.J. Price. 1982. Ecological and evolutionary determinants of relative clutch mass in lizards. Herpetologica 38:237-255.
Vitt, L.J. & D.G. Blackburn. 1983. Reproduction in the lizard Mabuya heathi (Scincidae): a commentary on viviparity in new world Mabuya. Can. Jour. Zool. 61:2798-2806.
______. 1991. Ecology and life history of the viviparous lizard Mabuya bistriata (Scincidae) in the Brazilian Amazon. Copeia 1991:918-927.
Vitt, L.J. & G.R. Colli. 1994. Geographical ecology of a neotropical lizard: Ameiva ameiva (Teiidae) in Brazil. Can. Jour. Zool. 72:1986-2008.
Vitt, L.J. & P.A. Zani. 1998. Ecological relationships among sympatric lizards in a transitional forest in the Amazon of Brazil. Jour. Trop. Ecol. 14:63-86.
Vitt, L.J., P.A. Zani & A.C. Marinho-Lima. 1997. Heliotherms in tropical rain forest: the ecology of Kentropyx calcarata (Teiidae) and Mabuya nigropunctata (Scincidae) in the Curuá-Una of Brazil Jour. Trop. Ecol. 13:199-220.
Vrcibradic, D. & C.F.D. Rocha. 1995. Ecological observations on the scincid lizard Mabuya agilis in a Brazilian restinga habitat. Herpetol. Rev. 26:129-131.
______. 1996 Ecological differences in tropical sympatric skinks (Mabuya macrorhyncha and Mabuya agilis) in southeastern Brazil. Jour. Herpetol. 30:60-67.
______. 1998. Ecology of the Skink Mabuya frenata in an area of rock outcrops in southeastern Brazil. Jour. Herpetol. 32:229-237.
______. 2002. Use of cacti as heat sources by thermoregulating Mabuya agilis (Raddi) and Mabuya macrorhyncha Hoge (Lacertilia, Scincidae) in southeastern Brazil. Revta bras. Zool. 19:77-83.

*

Corresponding author

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
03 June 2009
Date of issue
Dec 2002

History

Accepted
05 Nov 2002
Received
12 July 2002

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] Araújo, A.F.B. 1991. Structure of a white sand-dune lizard community of coastal Brazil. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 51:857-865.

[2] Araújo, D.S.D. & R.P.B. Henriques. 1984. Análise florística das restingas do Rio de Janeiro, p. 159-193. In: L.D. Lacerda; D.S.D. Araújo; R. Cerqueira & B. Turcq. (Eds.). Restingas: Origem, Estrutura, Processos. Niterói, Centro Editorial UFF, 475p.

[3] Dufaure, J.P. & J. Hubert. 1961. Table de developpement de lézard vivipare, Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara Jacquin. Arch. Anat. Microscop. Morphol. Exp. 50:309-328.

[4] Eiten. G. 1992. Natural Brazilian vegetation types and their causes. An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc. 64 (Suppl. 1):35-65.

[5] Hatano, F.H.; D. Vrcibradic; C.A.B. Galdino; M. Cunha-Barros; C.F.D. Rocha & M. van Sluys. 2001. Thermal ecology and activity patterns of the lizard community of the restinga of Jurubatiba, Macaé, RJ. Rev. Brasil. Biol. 61:287-294.

[6] Huey, R.B.; E.R. Pianka & L.J. Vitt. 2001. How often do lizards "run on empty"? Ecology 82:1 -7.

[7] Pianka, E.R. 1970. Comparative autecology of the lizard Cnemidophorus tigris in different parts of its geographic range. Ecology 51:703-720.

[8] Ramírez-Bautista. A.; C. Balderas-Valdivia & L.J. Vitt. 2000. Reproductive ecology of the whiptail lizard Cnemidophorus lineatissimus (Squamata: Teiidae) in a tropical dry forest. Copeia 2000:712-722.

[9] Rocha, C.F.D. 1994. Introdução a ecologia de lagartos brasileiros, p. 39-57. In: A.T. Bernardes; L.B. Nascimento & G.A. Cotta (Eds). Herpetologia do Brasil. I. Belo Horizonte. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, 134p.

[10] ______. 2000. Biogeografia de répteis de restingas: distribuição, ocorrência e endemismos. p. 99-116. In: FA. Esteves & L.D. Lacerda (Eds). Ecologia de Restingas e Lagoas Costeiras. Macaé, NUPEM/UFRJ, 394p.

[11] Rocha, C.F.D. & H.G. Bergallo. 1997. Intercommunity variation in the distribution of abundance of dominant lizard species in restinga habitats. Ci. Cult. 49:269-274.

[12] Rocha, C.F.D. & D. Vrcibradic 1996. Thermal biology of two sympatric skinks (Mabuya macrorhyncha and Mabuya agilis) in a Brazilian restinga habitat. Austr. Jour. Ecol. 21:110-113.

[13] ______. 1999. Reproductive traits of two sympatric viviparous skinks (Mabuya macrorhyncha and Mabuya agilis) in a Brazilian restinga habitat. Herpetol. Jour. 9:43-53.

[14] Rocha, C.F.D.; D. Vrcibradic & A.F.B. Araújo. 2000. Ecofisiologia de répteis de restingas brasileiras, p. 117-149. In: F.A. Esteves & L.D. Lacerda (Eds). Ecologia de Restingas e Lagoas Costeiras. Macaé, NUPEM/UFRJ, 394p.

[15] Rocha, C.F.D.; G.F. Dutra; D. Vrcibradic & V.A. Menezes. 2002a. The terrestrial reptile fauna of the Abrolhos archipelago: species list and ecological aspects. Braz. Jour. Biol. 62:285-291.

[16] Rocha, C.F.D.; D. Vrcibradic; R.L. Teixeira & M.G.T. Cuzzuol. 2002b. Interpopulational variation in litter size of the skink Mabuya agilis in southeastern Brazil. Copeia 2002:857-864.

[17] Stevaux, M.N. 1993. Estratégia reprodutiva de Mabuya sp. (Sauria: Scincidae): um padrão geral de reprodução para o gênero na região neotropical. Rev. Nordestina Biol., João Pessoa, 8:61-86.

[18] Suguio, T. & M.G. Tessler. 1984. Planícies de cordões litorâneos quaternários do Brasil, p. 15-25. In: L.D. Lacerda; D.S.D. Araújo; R. Cerqueira & B. Turcq (Eds). Restingas: Origem, Estrutura, Processos. Niterói, Centro Editorial da Univ. Federal Fluminense, 475p.

[19] van Sluys, M.; D. Vrcibradic & C.F.D. Rocha. 2002. Tail loss in the syntopic lizards Tropidurus itambere (Tropiduridae) and Mabuya frenata (Scincidae) in southeastern Brazil. Stud. Neotrop. Fauna Environ. 37:227-231.

[20] Vanzolini, P.E. 1988. Distributional patterns of South American lizards, p. 317-342. In: P.E. Vanzolini & W.R. Heyer (Eds). Proceedings of a Workshop on Neotropical Distribution Patterns. Rio de Janeiro, Academia Brasileira de Ciências.

[21] Vitt, L.J. 1981. Tail autotomy and regeneration in the tropical skink, Mabuya heathi. Jour. Herpetol. 15:454-457.

[22] ______. 1991. An introduction to the ecology of Cerrado lizards. Jour. Herpetol. 25:79-90.

[23] Vitt, L.J. & J.D. Conodon. 1978. Body shape, reproductive effort, and relative clutch mass in lizards: resolution of a paradox. Amer. Nat. 112:595-608.

[24] Vitt, L.J. & H.J. Price. 1982. Ecological and evolutionary determinants of relative clutch mass in lizards. Herpetologica 38:237-255.

[25] Vitt, L.J. & D.G. Blackburn. 1983. Reproduction in the lizard Mabuya heathi (Scincidae): a commentary on viviparity in new world Mabuya. Can. Jour. Zool. 61:2798-2806.

[26] ______. 1991. Ecology and life history of the viviparous lizard Mabuya bistriata (Scincidae) in the Brazilian Amazon. Copeia 1991:918-927.

[27] Vitt, L.J. & G.R. Colli. 1994. Geographical ecology of a neotropical lizard: Ameiva ameiva (Teiidae) in Brazil. Can. Jour. Zool. 72:1986-2008.

[28] Vitt, L.J. & P.A. Zani. 1998. Ecological relationships among sympatric lizards in a transitional forest in the Amazon of Brazil. Jour. Trop. Ecol. 14:63-86.

[29] Vitt, L.J., P.A. Zani & A.C. Marinho-Lima. 1997. Heliotherms in tropical rain forest: the ecology of Kentropyx calcarata (Teiidae) and Mabuya nigropunctata (Scincidae) in the Curuá-Una of Brazil Jour. Trop. Ecol. 13:199-220.

[30] Vrcibradic, D. & C.F.D. Rocha. 1995. Ecological observations on the scincid lizard Mabuya agilis in a Brazilian restinga habitat. Herpetol. Rev. 26:129-131.

[31] ______. 1996 Ecological differences in tropical sympatric skinks (Mabuya macrorhyncha and Mabuya agilis) in southeastern Brazil. Jour. Herpetol. 30:60-67.

[32] ______. 1998. Ecology of the Skink Mabuya frenata in an area of rock outcrops in southeastern Brazil. Jour. Herpetol. 32:229-237.

[33] ______. 2002. Use of cacti as heat sources by thermoregulating Mabuya agilis (Raddi) and Mabuya macrorhyncha Hoge (Lacertilia, Scincidae) in southeastern Brazil. Revta bras. Zool. 19:77-83.