Female reproductive life history traits of the meadow lizard, Darevskia praticola (Eversmann, 1834) (Squamata : Lacertidae) from the westernmost boundary of the species range

Abstract

We presented the first data on female reproductive traits of the meadow lizard Darevskia praticola from the westernmost boundary of the species range (Peridanubian Serbia). Mating occurs during April and May, oviposition period occurs in June, and hatching takes place in July. Females mature at body sizes of 49.5 mm of snout-vent length (SVL). One clutch is produced annually. The average clutch size of 5.7 eggs (range 4 - 8) represents the largest recorded for this species. Clutch size and clutch mass increased significantly with the mother's SVL. There was no evidence of the predicted trade-off between egg size and clutch size, as well as of variation in egg size associated with maternal SVL. The relative dutch mass (RCM) was rather high (0.60) for lacertid species and was not correlated with female size.