Autoecologia do lagarto Ameiva ameiva (Linnaeus,1758)(Reptilia: Squamata: Teidae) em um ambiente antropizado de várzea no Município de Santarém, Pará, Brasil

Abstract

Seasonally flooded ecosystems may selectively affect populations in a community, by selecting species with low tolerance to environmental changes throughout the year. Some species of Teiidae lizards are able to survive and reproduce in flooded habitats, such as the widely distributed Ameiva ameiva. However, knowledge about the biology of these lizards in flooded forests in the Amazon is incipient, since most of studies are concentrated in “Terra-firme” forests. The present study presents data on the daily activity, habitat use and reproduction of A. ameiva from a flooded forest (“Várzea”) in the lower Amazon River. The data is based on 12 sampling campaigns per month, between December 2015 and November 2016. Two peaks of daily activity were found: the first between 10:00 and 12:00 h and the second at 15:00 h. Most of the lizards were observed in open areas, on the leaf-litter, in areas covered by grass and plantations. These results were independent of sex and sexual maturity. No significant differences were found in the use of microhabitats between phases of the annual flood pulse. However, a PCA based on 10 morphometric variables detected sexual dimorphism. In relation to the total sampling, 50% (n = 31 of 62) of the females and 97% (n = 66 of 68) of the males were reproductively mature. These were found along almost the entire year, except in February and October for females. Although these results suggest continuous reproduction throughout the year, the largest embryonic follicles and testicles volume suggest a reproductive peak from the end of the full-flooded season to the flood beginning. This study showed that A. ameiva from flooded habitats are different from those inhabiting other ecosystems, regarding daily activity, habitats use and reproduction.