Ecology and Reproductive Patterns of the Littoral Skink Emoia atrocostata on an East Asian Tropical Rainforest Island

Wen-San Huang (2011) Ecology and reproductive patterns of the littoral skink Emoia atrocostata on an East Asian tropical rainforest island. Zoological Studies 50(4): 506-512. I describe the habitat use, diet, and male and female reproductive cycles of Emoia atrocostata, an oviparous skink inhabiting Orchid I., a tropical island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan. All E. atrocostata individuals were observed on a rocky beach near the ocean edge. The diet of E. atrocostata consisted of Homoptera (Aphrophoridae), Hymenoptera (Formicidae), and crabs. The mean snout-vent length (SVL) of adult males was 76.6 mm, and that of females was 74.5 mm. Males had a significantly larger SVL than females. Females exhibited spring and summer vitellogenesis, with oviposition occurring from Mar. to Aug. There was no correlation between the onset of vitellogenesis and the mass of female fat bodies. Females produced 1-3 eggs per clutch, in contrast to 2 eggs per clutch in a Philippine population of E. atrocostata. The clutch size was not correlated with SVL. Two clutches were recorded during a single year in some individuals. Male fat bodies exhibited the lowest mass from Mar. to Sept., coincident with the period of reproductive activity. Reproductive characteristics of other sympatric lizards on Orchid I. and conspecifics in other regions were compared to those of E. atrocostata. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/50.4/506.pdf