- KOREAN
- P-ISSN2287-8327
- E-ISSN2288-1220
- SCOPUS, KCI
ISSN : 2287-8327
A comparison of five Korean snake species’ reproductive organ sizes, Oocatochus rufodorsatus and Rhabdophis tigrinus in Colubridae and Gloydius saxatilis, G. brevicaudus and G. ussuriensis in Viperidae
Il-Hun Kim (Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea)
Se-Ra Kwon (Department of Biology, Kangwon National University)
Abstract
Characteristics of snake reproductive organs that are relatively less affected by external environmental conditions can be used as an important means of classification; additionally, such characteristics can provide useful information on a species’ reproductive system. In this study, we compared the testis weights, hemipenis lengths and retractor muscle lengths of male Oocatochus rufodorsatus and Rhabdophis tigrinus in Colubridae and Gloydius saxatilis, G. brevicaudus and G. ussuriensis in Viperidae. The snake snout-vent lengths (SVLs) were positively related to the three reproductive organ sizes, but the body weight only exhibited a positive relationship with the testis weight. The three organs did not significantly differ on the left and right sides. The relative testis weights and retractor muscle lengths (divided by the body weight and SVL, respectively) of the Colubridae snakes were greater than for the Viperidae snakes, but the relative hemipenis lengths (divided by SVL) did not differ between the two groups. The relative testis weight of G. saxatilis and the relative retractor muscle lengths of the Viperidae snakes were smaller compared with the Colubridae snakes. The relative hemipenis length of O. rufodorsatus was greater than for R. tigrinus, G. saxatilis and G. brevicaudus. Additional comparisons were not significant. Our results may facilitate further studies on hemipenial morphology and mating competition in Korean snakes. This is the first study on Korean snake reproductive organs.
- keywords
- Colubridae, mating system, reproductive organ, sexual selection, sperm competition, Viperidae
Reference
Arnold EN. 1986. Why copulatory organs provide so many useful taxonomic characters: The origin and maintenance of hemipenial differences in lacertid lizards (Reptilia: Lacertidae). Biol J Linn Soc 29: 263-281.
Arnold SJ, Duvall D. 1994. Animal mating systems: a synthesis based on selection theory. Am Nat 143: 317-348.
Crews D. 1978. Hemipenile preference: stimulus control of male mounting behavior in the lizard Anolis carolinensis. Science 199: 195-196.
Das M, Purkayastha J. 2012. Insight into hemipenial morphology of five species of Hemidactylus Oken, 1817 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) of Guwahati, Assam, India. Hamadryad 36: 32-37.
Do MS, Yoo JC. 2014. Distribution pattern according to altitude and habitat type of the Red-tongue viper snake (Gloydius ussuriensis) in the Cheonma mountain. J Wetl Res 16: 193-204.
Dowling HG, Savage JM. 1960. A guide to the snake hemipenis: A survey of basic structure and systematic characteristics. Zoologica 45: 17-31.
Duvall D, Arnold SJ, Schuett GW. 1992. Pitviper mating systems: ecological potential, sexual selection and microevolution. In: The Biology of Pitvipers (Campbell JA, Brodie ED, eds.). Selva press, Tyler, TX, pp 165-200.
Eberhard W, Rodriguez RL, Polihronakis M. 2009. Pitfalls in understanding the functional significance of genital allometry. J Evol Biol 22: 435-445.
Friesen CR, Uhrig EJ, Squire MK, Mason RT, Brennan PLR. 2013. Sexual conflict over mating in red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) as indicated by experimental manipulation of genitalia. Proc R Soc B DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2694.
Hosken DJ, Stockley P. 2004. Sexual selection and genital evolution. Trends Ecol Evol 19: 87-93.
Kang YS, Yoon IB. 1975. Illustrated encyclopedia of fauna and flora of Korea. Vol. 17. Amphibia and Reptilia. Sam Hwa Press, Seoul. (in Korean)
Kim BN, Kim JK, Park D. 2012a. Mating behavior of the Mongolian racerunner (Eremias argus; Lacertidae, Reptilia). Anim Cells Syst 16: 337-342.
Kim BS, Oh HS. 2014. Foods use of the red-tongued viper snake (Gloydius ussuriensis) Korean J Environ Ecol 28: 657-663. (in Korean with English abstract)
Kim DI, Lee JH, Kim IH, Kim JK, Ra NY, Kim BN, Park D. 2011. Herpetofauna and distribution of each species in Gwangneung forest. Korean J Herpetol 3: 1-9. (in Korean with English abstract)
Kim IH, Ra NY, Park D. 2012b. Habitat use, home range and hibernaculum of the Mongolian racerunner, Eremias argus (Lacertidae, Reptilia) in a coastal sand dune in South Korea. Asian Herpetol Res 3: 133-140.
King RB, Jadin RC, Grue M, Walley HD. 2009. Behavioral correlates with hemipenis morphology in New World natricine snakes. Biol J Linn Soc 98: 110-120.
Lee HJ, Kim IH, Park D. 2013. Telephone inquiry and local interview on the observation of Korean sea snakes. Korean J Herpetol 5: 45-52.
Lee JH, Park D, Ra NY, Kim JK. 2009. Herpetofauna in Odaesan national park. Korean J Herpetol 5: 45-52. (in Korean with English abstract)
Lee JH, Park D, Sung HC. 2012. Large-scale habitat association modeling of the endangered Korean ratsnake (Elaphe schrenckii). Zool Sci 29: 281-285.
Licht P. 1984. Reptiles. In: Marshall’s Physiology of Reproduction: Vol I, Reproductive Cycles of Vertebrates (Lemming GE, ed). Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, pp 206-282.
Mao SH, Yin FY, Guo YW. 1984. The hemipenes of common Taiwanese venomous snakes. Herpetologica 40: 406-410.
Møller AP. 1989. Ejaculate quality, testes size and sperm production in mammals. Funct Ecol 3: 91-96.
Moore MC, Lindzey J. 1992. The physiology basis of sexual behavior in male reptiles. In: Biology of Reptilia, Vol. 18, Physiology E – Hormones, Brain and Behavior (Gans C, Crews D., eds.). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, pp 70-113.
Olsson M, Madsen T. 1998. Sexual selection and sperm competition in reptiles. In: Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection (Birkhead TR, Møller AP, eds.). Academic Press, San Diego, CA, pp 503-578.
Porto M, de Oliveira MA, Pissinatti L, Rodrigues RL, Rojas-Moscoso JA, Cogo JC, Metze K, Antunes E, Nahoum C, Mónica FZ, De Nucci G. 2013. The evolutionary implications of hemipenial morphology of rattlesanke Crotalus durissus terrificus (Laurent, 1768) (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae). PLoS ONE 8: e66903. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066903.
Shine R, Olsson MM, LeMaster MP, Moore IT, Mason RT. 2000. Are snakes right-handed? Asymmetry in hemipenis size and usage in gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis). Behav Ecol 11: 411-415.
Todd AC. 2008. Using testis size to predict the mating systems of New Zealand geckos. N Z J Zool 35: 103-114.
Tokarz RR, Slowinski JB. 1990. Alternation of hemipenis use as a behavioral means of increasing sperm transfer in the lizard Anolis sagrei. Anim Behav 40: 374-379.
Wallach V. 1991. Comparative visceral topography of African colubrid snakes of the subfamilies Aparallacinae and Acractaspidae. PhD dissertation. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Zweifel RG. 1997. Alternating use of hemipenes in the kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula. J Herpetol 31: 459-461.
- Downloaded
- Viewed
- 0KCI Citations
- 0WOS Citations