REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE OF SMITH'S BLACK-HEADED SNAKE, TANTILLA HOBARTSMITHI (SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE), IN ARIZONA

摘要

Smith's black-headed snake, Tantilla hobartsmithi, occurs in Arizona, southern California, western Colorado, southern Nevada, southern New Mexico, southwestern Texas, southern Utah, and in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora (Cole and Hardy 1981). Most individuals are found beneath rocks, mainly in riparian, grassland, chaparral, and woodland communities (Cole and Hardy 1983). Information on clutch sizes and time of oviposition for T. hobartsrnithi was given by Stebbins (1985) and Degenhardt et al. (1996). Force (1935) provided detailed information on reproduction in the congener Tantilla gracilis from northeastern Oklahoma as did Aldridge and Semlitsch (1992a, 1992b) for Tantilla coronate from South Carolina. This note's purpose is to provide information on the reproductive cycle of T. hohartfsmithi in Arizona based on a histological examination of gonadal tissue from museum specimens.