The British Herpetological Society

The Herpetological Journal is the Society's prestigious quarterly scientific journal. Articles are listed in Biological Abstracts, Current Awareness in Biological Sciences,Current Contents, Science Citation Index, and Zoological Record.

 ISSN 0268-0130

2021 Impact Factor from Clarivate for the Herpetological Journal is 1.194, an increase of 0.332 from 2020.


pdf 05. Intra-sex synchrony and inter-sex coordination in the reproductive timing of the Atlantic coral snake Micrurus corallinus (Elapidae) in Brazil

1394 downloads

Open Access

pp. 371-376
Authors: Almeida-Santos, Selma M.; Pizzatto, Lígia & Marques, Otavio A. V.

Abstract: Dissection of preserved Atlantic coral snakes Micrurus corallinus, plus field data and histological analysis, provided information on male reproductive cycles. Testes are larger during autumn, when sperm production occurs, and smaller in spring, when spermatogenesis stops. The diameter of the distal deferent ducts is small in summer–autumn, when sperm are hardly found in the lumen, and it increases in winter–spring, when sperm is abundant, just prior to the mating season. Thus, the male cycle of M. corallinus is post-nuptial, whereas the female cycle is prenuptial. Although gametogenesis is not simultaneous in both sexes, the coordination of their cycles is guaranteed by sperm storage by males. Our data indicate that the diameter of the deferent duct is a good indication of the mating season, mainly when reproductive cycles are post-nuptial. Mate searching and aggregation occurs in the spring, and activity in both sexes may be highly related to their reproductive cycles.

Keywords: SNAKE, AGGREGATION, SPERMATOGENIC CYCLE, REPRODUCTION, SPERM STORAGE

Download Access:

The latest 8 issues can be downloaded when logged in with a Herpetological Journal subscription membership.

Individual articles can be purchased for download.

Older issues and occasional Open Access articles are available for public download

Submissions:

For further information and submission guidelines please see our Journal Instructions to Authors

pdfBHS Ethics Policy

IMPORTANT NOTE - JUNE 2020

Please note that as from Volume 31 Number 1 (January 2021) on, the Herpetological Journal will be available as an online publication only - the last print edition will be Volume 30 Number 4.   

Aligning with this change, it is now no longer possible to purchase a subscription that includes a print copy of the HJ.  All members who have existing HJ print subscriptions that remain active as at end June 2020 will receive the full four 2020 print editions.  New subscribers or renewals after this time will only have option to subscribe to the online only subscription package.  Subscription pricing has been amended to reflect the content changes.

 

Search Publications