Novel type of egg-clustering in threadsnakes (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae)

IF 2.4 2区 生物学 Q1 ZOOLOGY
Mariana Chuliver, Agustín Scanferla
{"title":"Novel type of egg-clustering in threadsnakes (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae)","authors":"Mariana Chuliver, Agustín Scanferla","doi":"10.3897/vz.73.e108402","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Snakes lay their eggs in clutches of different size, which are usually attached to each other forming a cluster. Egg-clustering is a widespread phenomenon across alethinophidian snakes, mostly recorded in Pythonoidea and caenophidian clades. Here we report a new type of egg-clustering for threadsnakes (Leptotyphlopidae) that departs from the alethinophidian type. We found that females of Epictia australis and Leptotyphlops sylvicolus lay their eggs connected to each other through a filament, and we dubbed it ‘string-egg clustering’. The histomorphology of the filament linking the eggs in E. australis showed an outer calcareous layer underlain by a thick layer of collagen fibers, demonstrating that it is an integral part of the eggshell formed during its deposition process in the oviduct. String egg-clustering seems to be present only among species belonging to both subfamilies of threadsnakes, Epictinae and Leptotyphlopinae. Egg-clustering in alethinophidians has been demonstrated to have several advantages for embryo development and post-hatching survival, including fixing the position of the embryo within the egg, protection against predators, and embryo-to-embryo communication. The presence of a filament connecting the eggs in leptotyphlopid species might be relevant for maintaining the position of the embryo in the egg, to avoid the dispersion of the egg in the nesting site, and potentially for the transmission of physical cues. Thus, we hypothesize that the string-egg clustering constitutes an advantageous reproductive trait among threadsnakes.","PeriodicalId":51290,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Zoology","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Vertebrate Zoology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.73.e108402","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ZOOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract Snakes lay their eggs in clutches of different size, which are usually attached to each other forming a cluster. Egg-clustering is a widespread phenomenon across alethinophidian snakes, mostly recorded in Pythonoidea and caenophidian clades. Here we report a new type of egg-clustering for threadsnakes (Leptotyphlopidae) that departs from the alethinophidian type. We found that females of Epictia australis and Leptotyphlops sylvicolus lay their eggs connected to each other through a filament, and we dubbed it ‘string-egg clustering’. The histomorphology of the filament linking the eggs in E. australis showed an outer calcareous layer underlain by a thick layer of collagen fibers, demonstrating that it is an integral part of the eggshell formed during its deposition process in the oviduct. String egg-clustering seems to be present only among species belonging to both subfamilies of threadsnakes, Epictinae and Leptotyphlopinae. Egg-clustering in alethinophidians has been demonstrated to have several advantages for embryo development and post-hatching survival, including fixing the position of the embryo within the egg, protection against predators, and embryo-to-embryo communication. The presence of a filament connecting the eggs in leptotyphlopid species might be relevant for maintaining the position of the embryo in the egg, to avoid the dispersion of the egg in the nesting site, and potentially for the transmission of physical cues. Thus, we hypothesize that the string-egg clustering constitutes an advantageous reproductive trait among threadsnakes.
丝蛇卵群的新类型(蛇纲:细尾蛇科)
蛇在不同大小的窝里产卵,这些窝通常彼此相连,形成一个簇。卵聚集是一种普遍存在的现象,主要记录在蛇科和蛇科分支中。在这里,我们报告了一种新的类型的卵聚集的线蛇(细尾蛇科),从alethinophidian类型出发。我们发现,Epictia australis和Leptotyphlops sylvicolus的雌性卵通过一根细丝相互连接,我们称之为“串卵集群”。南棘卵连接丝的组织形态学显示,外层是一层钙质层,下面是一层厚厚的胶原纤维,表明它是蛋壳在输卵管中沉积过程中形成的一个组成部分。串卵聚类似乎只存在于线蛇亚科(Epictinae和Leptotyphlopinae)的物种中。alethinophhidian的卵聚集已被证明对胚胎发育和孵化后的存活有几个好处,包括固定胚胎在卵内的位置,防止捕食者,以及胚胎间的交流。纤体物种中连接卵的细丝的存在可能与维持胚胎在卵中的位置有关,以避免卵在筑巢地点的分散,并可能传播物理线索。因此,我们假设丝蛇的串卵聚类是一种有利的生殖特性。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
CiteScore
4.00
自引率
19.00%
发文量
42
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: Research fields covered by VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY are ta‍xo‍no‍my, mor‍pho‍logy, an‍at‍omy, phy‍lo‍ge‍ny (mo‍le‍cu‍lar and mor‍pho‍lo‍gy-based), hi‍sto‍ri‍cal bio‍geo‍gra‍phy, and pa‍lae‍on‍to‍lo‍gy of ver‍te‍bra‍tes.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信