Oviposition observation of Tropidodryas serra (Serpentes: Dipsadidae)

• Main Authors: Edelcio Muscat, Elsie Rotenberg, Iberê Farina Machado
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pensoft Publishers 2019-04-01
• Series: Neotropical Biology and Conservation
• Subjects: Atlantic Forest; atresic eggs; natural history; re
• Online Access: https://neotropical.pensoft.net/article/35410/download/pdf/

Tropidodryas serra is an endemic snake from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and despite its wide distribution, little is known about its ecology. Tropidodryas serra is an oviparous snake, but there are few available data on its  reproductive cycle. In this paper, we present the first report of oviposition of T. serra in captivity with successfully hatching. A pregnant female was captured in the area of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Dacnis Project, Ubatuba-SP, southeastern Brazil, and held captive. The spawning of 7 eggs and the development of offspring were observed. The eggs (measuring 4x1.35 cm in average) hatched in 90 days, with 6 healthy neonates and 1 stillborn. Based on a unique successful hatching of T. serra eggs in captivity, the present study confirmed with naturalistic data reproductive characteristics of the species, such as egg laying in December and low number of atresic eggs, corroborating that the species should present few reproductive events and concentrated throughout the rainy season.