Actividad diaria y ciclo anual de Tropidophis melanurus (Squamata: Tropidophiidae) en el Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos, Cuba

Abstract

The ecology of ophidians has not widely studied in the Antilles region. Besides, is not well known about the daily activity patterns of species that inhabit this area, as well as the way in which environmental factors such as temperature, rainfall and food availability affect their activity. Cienfuegos Botanical Garden has an abundant population of Tropidophis melanurus (Schlegel, 1837). For this study, random transect of 1 km long by four meters of width were made. The samplings were carried out with a frequency of a monthly visit to the studying area, extending over a year, and various data were taken from the individuals observed, such as their activity or inactivity, total length and sex.

The samplings were carried out with a frequency of a monthly visit to the studying area, extending over a year, and various data were taken from the individuals observed, such as their activity or inactivity, total length and sex. The daily activity data was grouped in 2 month blocks to facilitate their analysis. The chi cuadrado (X²) test was used to compare the abundance of the species between the dry and rainy seasons. The highest numbers of active individuals were recorded in the first hours of the night. The months of greatest activity were august and september, while the lowest activity was recorded during the months of april and may. The activity of the species in the rainy and dry periods was very similar, and factors such as temperature seem not to have special relevance in such behavior. However, rainfall seems to have a greater influence on activity in the species.