Prevalence of Autotomy and Tail Regeneration in Teius teyou (Reptilia, Teiidae)

CASAS, M.; ARÁOZ, E.; MONTERO, R.

JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY

SOC STUDY AMPHIBIANS REPTILES

Lugar: Salt Lake City; Año: 2016

0022-1511

We analyzed the prevalence of tail autotomy and regeneration in Teius teyou with the use of 640 museum specimens.There is a marked difference in the prevalence of tail autotomy between juveniles (5.4%) and adults (23.9%); we found no significantdifferences in the prevalence between males and females. In contrast with the trends observed in other families, there exists an inverse relationship between the average size and the prevalence of autotomy among teiid species. We suggest that this could be explained by the important role played by the tail in locomotion, courtship, and defense of teiids. Alternatively, being a large species, these teiids may have an enhanced capacity for repelling attacks without losing their tails. Finally, we report a specimen that presented a bifidregenerated tail.