Ecological Archives E089-085-A1

Scott M. Boback and Craig Guyer. 2008. A test of reproductive power in snakes. Ecology 89:1428–1435.

Appendix A. Data used for the determination of acquisition of energy for reproduction in snakes.

 

Body length (mm)*

Body mass (kg)a

Maximum egg mass (g)

Maximum clutch size

Clutch calories (kcal)b

Clutch energy (kilo-joules)c

Clutch power (Watts)d

Sources

Ramphotyphlops australis

500

0.047

0.3

5

2.25

9.42

0.005

Australian Museum Online-typhlopidae

Ramphotyphlops nigrescens

750

0.161

1.53

20

45.9

192.21

0.095

Australian Museum Online-typhlopidae

Python sebae

9450

338.744

160

100

24000

100483

49.843

Murphy and Henderson (1997); Branch (1998)

Python reticulatus

8690

262.971

300

103

46350

194058

96.259

Murphy and Henderson (1997);Shine et al. (1999)

Cemophora coccinea

830

0.219

6

9

81

339.13

0.168

Stebbins (1985); Ernst and Barbour (1989)

Diadophis punctatus

750

0.161

1.35

10

20.25

84.78

0.042

Ernst and Barbour (1989)

Elaphe obsoleta

2560

6.561

15

44

990

4144.93

2.056

Ernst and Barbour (1989)

Heterodon playrhinos

1160

0.601

12

61

1098

4597.11

2.28

Ernst and Barbour (1989)

Heterodon simus

610

0.086

2.5

10

37.5

157.01

0.078

Ernst and Barbour (1989)

Lampropeltis getula

2080

3.504

14

24

504

2110.15

1.047

Ernst and Barbour (1989)

Lampropeltis triangulum

1725

1.991

4.5

24

162

678.26

0.336

Ernst and Barbour (1989)

Pituophis melanoleucus

2540

6.407

133

14

2793

11693.7

5.8

Stebbins (1985); Ernst and Barbour (1989)

Dendroaspis polylepis

4300

31.415

54

17

1377

5765.22

2.86

Branch (1998)

Micrurus fulvius

1295

0.838

6

13

117

489.86

0.243

Roze (1996); Ernst and Barbour (1989)

*Maximum total length estimates from the following: Stebbins 1985; Lee 1996; Murphy and Henderson 1997; Branch 1998; Conant and Collins 1998

aMass values predicted using mass - total length equation from Pough (1980): M = 3.5×10^-4TL^3.02

bClutch calories calculated from maximum clutch mass (maximum egg mass multiplied by maximum clutch size); assume one clutch per year; conversion constant: 1 kg = 1.5 kcal

cClutch energy obtained from clutch calories; conversion constant: 1 kcal = 4186.8 joules

dClutch power calculated from clutch energy (Joules) multiplied by 0.9 and divided by 1814400 seconds (90% of egg mass generated over 21 day period: Saint Girons 1985).

 

LITERATURE CITED

Australian Museum Online-typhlopidae: http://www.amonline.net.au/herpetology/research/pdf/typhlopidae.pdf

Branch, B. 1998. Field guide to the snakes and other reptiles of Southern Africa. Ralph Curtis Books, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA.

Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Ernst, C. H., and R. W. Barbour. 1989. Snakes of eastern North America. George Mason University Press, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.

Lee, J. C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatan Penninsula. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Murphy, J. C., and R. W. Henderson. 1997. Tales of giant snakes:A historical natural history of anacondas and pythons.Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida, USA.

Roze, J. A. 1996. Coral snakes of the Americas: Biology, identification, and venoms. Krieger Publishing, Malabar, Florida, USA.

Saint Girons, H. 1985. Comparative data on Lepidosaurian reproduction and some timetables. Pages 35–58 in C. Gans, editor. Biology of the Reptilia. Wiley, New York, New York, USA.

Shine, R., Ambariyanto, P. S. Harlow, and Mumpuni. 1999. Reticulated pythons in Sumatra: biology, harvesting and sustainability. Biological Conservation 87:349–357.

Stebbins, R. C. 1985. Western reptiles and amphibians. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.



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