Sexual Dimorphism, Diet And Reproduction In Two Desert Lizards Of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi and Teratoscincus roborowskii only distribute in desert of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Ecological material about these two lizards is deficient. In this paper, we study sexual dimorphism, diet and reproduction to supply ecological material of them.1. The specimens of Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi were collected in outskirts of Urumqi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China from April to September, 1984. The gravid female lizards were collected from April to September, 2009. Morphological traits are measured to study sexual dimorphism in Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi. It shows no sexual dimorphism in body size (t=0.216, df=316, P=0.826). However, males and females differ in head size, tail length and venter size at mature stage, with males having larger head size and longer tail while females having larger venter size independent of body size. These sexual dimorphisms occur at juvenile stage and are quite more pronounced in adults. Remove stomachs of preserved specimens to study diet in Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi by dissection and examine their contents. Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi mostly eat arthropod except a little vegetal debris. From April to September, diet groups and composition vary monthly. However, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera are the most important prey groups in terms of numerical proportion every month. Reproduction history in Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi is determined via dissection and housed in laboratory. Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi has a single mating period each year that lasts from April to June. Testes of adult males fairly develop in April. Volume of testes is up to greatest in May while regularly decrease in June. The only significant decrease in testicular activity is in July. In August testes become developing again and greatest in September. Females only produce a single clutch of eggs (3.23±0.14, 1-5) each year between May and July, and the development of follicles get into rest stage after August. Clutch size, clutch mass, egg mass and relative clutch mass are all significantly correlated with female SVL (P<0.05). 2. The specimens of Teratoscincus roborowskii were collected from Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Turpan Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between April of 2008 and May of 2009. Morphological characters are measured to study sexual dimorphism and collect fecal samples for diet analysis of Teratoscincus roborowskii. Males and females differ in head width and venter size at mature stage, with males having wider heads and females having larger venter size. An isometric growth pattern with the increase of SVL was showed in head length of all the individuals and in head width of males (P>0.05), but the growth rate of head width became more and more slowly with the ontogeny in females. Teratoscincus roborowskii mostly ate arthropod and fruit of Capparis spinosa L.