Reproductive cycles of the arboreal and viviparous snake Corallus hortulana (Serpentes, Boidae) from the Brazilian Amazon.

Abstract

Although the reproduction of some Boidae snakes has been studied through the macroscopic anatomy of the gonads, without microscopic morphology, there is little precision in describing reproductive cycles, especially for males. The relationship between the reproductive cycle-gametogenesis and reproductive seasonality throughout the year-has yet to be detailed for many Boidae species. We present macroscopic and histological data on the reproductive tracts of both male and viviparous female Corallus hortulana (Linnaeus 1758) (Amazon Tree Boa) from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. Males present spermiogenesis and spermiation mainly during January and June (wet season to beginning-dry season). Contrary to common assumption, we speculate that sperm production in C. hortulana, even in the tropical Amazon, is likely energetically demanding, influenced by rainfall, given that testicular involution occurred between May and November (most of the driest months of the year). Females present ovarian follicles in processes of vitellogenesis from December to August (wet season and part of the dry season). However, newborns are found in the wild mainly in the wet season, characterizing the cycle of female C. hortulana as seasonal. Unprecedentedly, we present the first microscopic description of the pouch and non-glandular uterus in a Boidae species. The cells that compose the epithelial tissue of the non-glandular uterus have been suggested for maintaining and supporting spermatozoa (sperm storage) in snakes, but we found no evidence that sperm storage occurs in this portion of the oviduct in C. hortulana. This study not only improves our understanding of reproductive biology in a boid, but because several aspects of reproductive cycles are conservative in the family (e.g., season of birth of newborn snakes), it aids in the development of effective conservation policies for endangered species such as Corallus cropanii, the rarest Boidae in the Americas.