Experimental animal Biology

In collaboration with Payame Noor University and Iranian Society of Physiology and Pharmacology

Current Issue

By Issue

By Author

By Subject

Author Index

Keyword Index

About Journal

Aims and Scope

Editorial Board

Publication Ethics

Indexing and Abstracting

Related Links

FAQ

Peer Review Process

Journal Metrics

News

The Study of Sexual Dimorphism in the Black-tailed Toad Agama (Phrynocephalus maculatus maculatus) in Semnan Province

Document Type : Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Biology Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran

2 M.Sc. in Animal Biosystematics, Department of Biology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran

Abstract


Black-tailed toad agama (Phrynocephalus maculatus maculatus) is one of the rare diurnal lizards belonging to Agamidae family that have been distributed in deserts and sandy areas in central and southern parts of Iran. This research was conducted in order to the study of sexual dimorphism in this species from April to August, 2013. Totally, 30 adult specimens including 15 males and 15 females were collected from four stations: Hasan Abad, Aliyan, Saleh Abad and Yazdan Abad in southern parts of Damghan County in daily patrols by hand. Results of present study showed that males and females of this species are not significantly different in body weight, body length, tail length, head length, head width, right and left supralabial and infralabial scales, and scales around the mid- body (p< 0.01). Also, no significant differences were observed in body coloration and shape and arrangement of scales in both sexes. Therefore, there is no sexual dimorphism in the studied characters in Phrynocephalus maculatus maculatus in this area.

Keywords

References
Anderson, RA.; Vitt, LJ.; (1990). Sexual selection versus alternative causes of sexual dimorphism in teiid lizards. Oecologia, 84: 145-157.
Anderson, SC.; (1999). The Lizards of Iran, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Oxford, Ohio.
Andersson, M.; (1994). Sexual selection. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Birchard, GF.; Marcellini, D.; (1996). Incubation time in reptilian eggs. Journal of Zoology, London, 240: 621-635.
Butler, MA.; Losos, JB. (2002). Multivariate sexual dimorphism, sexual selection, and adaptation in greater Antillean anolis lizards, Ecological Monographs. 72: 541-559.
Cheatsazan, H.; Kami, HG.; Kiabi, BH.; Rabani, V.; (2006). Sexual dimorphism in the Caucasian Rock Agama, Laudakia caucasia (Sauria: Agamidae). Zoology in the Middle East, 39: 63-68.
 Eskandarzadeh, N.; Rastegar-Pouynani, N.; Rastegar-Pouyani, E.; Zinati, L.; (2015). Sexual dimorphism in Trapelus agilis agilis (Olivier, 1807) (Sauria: Agamidae) from Tabas Region, Northeastern Iran. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 22: 123-127.
 Halliday, T.; Adler, K., (2002). The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Heidari, N.; Cheatsazan, H.; Kami, HG.; Shafiei, S.; (2010). Sexual dimorphism of the Black Rock Agama, Laudakia melanura lirata (Blanford, 1874). Zoology of the Middle East, 49: 49-53.
Hellyer, P.; Aspinall, S.; (2005). The Emirates: A Natural History. Trident Press Limited, London.
Hojati,V.; Malekmohammadi, M.; Rahmani, S.; (2014). A preliminary study on the biology of the Black-tailed Toad Agama, Phrynocephalus maculatus maculatus in Iran. CIBTech Journal of Zoology, 3: 60-67.
Liu, Y.; Song, Y.; Li, W.; Shi, L., (2012). Reproductive strategy and cycle of the Toad-headed Agama Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi (Agamidae) in Xinjiang, China. Asian Herpetological Research, 3: 198-204.
Malekmohammadi-Kalahroudi, M.; Hojati, V.; (2014). The female reproductive cycle of the Spotted Toad-headed Agama, Phrynocephalus maculatus (Sauria: Agamidae) in Iran. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics, 10: 185-194.
 Qu, Y.; Gao, J.; Mao, L.; Ji, X.; (2011). Sexual dimorphism and female reproduction in two sympatric toad head lizard P. frotalis and P. versicolor. Animal Biology, 61: 139-151.
Rahmani S.; Hojati V.; (2015). The Male Reproductive Cycle of the Spotted Toad-Headed Agama, Phrynocephalus maculatus, in Iran. International Journal of Zoology, 2015: 1-6.
Rastegar-Pouyani, N.; Eftekharzadeh, G.; Imani, A.; Hosseini, S.; (2013). Sexual dimorphism in Trapelus lessonae (De Filippi, 1865) (Sauria: Agamidae) from western Iranian Plateau. Iranian Journal of Animal Biology, 9: 125-133.
Schoener, T.W.; (1967). The ecological significance of sexual dimorphism in size in the lizard Anolis conspersus. Science, 155: 474-477.
Stamps, JA.; (1993). Sexual size dimorphism in species with asymptotic growth after maturity. Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society, 50: 123-145.
Terentev, PV.; Chernov, SA.; (1949). Key to Amphibians and Reptiles. 3rd ed. Translated from Russian by L. Kochva (1965).
Torki, F.; (2007). Sexual dimorphismin the Banded Dwarf Gecko, Tropiocolotes helenae fasciatus (Gekkonidae) on the Western Iranian Plateau. Zoology in the Middle East, 40: 33-38.
Verwaijen, D.; Van Damme, R.; Herrel, A.; (2002). Relationship between head size, bit force, prey handling efficiency and diet in two sympatric lacertid lizards. Functional Ecology, 16: 842-850.
Vitt, LJ.; (1986). Reproductive tactics of sympatric gekkonid lizards with a comment on the evolutionary and ecological consequences of invariant clutch size. Copeia, 1986: 773-777.
Zhang, XD.; Ji, X.; Luo, LG.; Gao, JF.; Zhang, L.; (2005). Sexual dimorphism and female reproduction in the Qinghai toad-headed lizard Phrynocephalus vlangalii. Acta Zoologica Sinica, 51: 1006-1012.  
Zhao, W.; Liu, N-f.; (2014). The Proximate Causes of Sexual Size Dimorphism in Phrynocephalus przewalskii. PLoS ONE, 9(1), e85963.
 
Experimental animal Biology
Volume 6, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
December 2017
Pages 55-63
Files
Share
How to cite
Statistics