U ^ ' M US. COMP. ZOOl_. OCCASIONAL PAPERS 0CT 9 ,98 ° HARVARO of the MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY The University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas NUMBER 86, PAGES 1-53 SEPTEMBER 23, 1980 REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF LIZARDS ON THE AMERICAN SAMOAN ISLANDS By Terry D. Schwaner 1 The reproductive biology of most lizards is poorly known. This is particularly true for tropical species, and most especially for island populations in the Pacific region (Brown, 1956; Inger and Green-berg, 1966; Fitch, 1970; Duellman, 1978). This study concerns certain aspects of the reproductive biology of 12 species of lizards on the tropical Pacific islands of American Samoa. There are no published studies describing lizard reproduction on these islands. The species accounts presented herein summarize basic data on male and female sizes (snout-vent lengths) at reproductive matu-rity, clutch sizes, descriptions of eggs, incubation periods, and hatchling sizes. Data on some species are sufficient to suggest re-lationships between climatic variables and monthly frequencies of fecund and ovigerous females and to indicate patterns in annual reproductive activity. Reproductive modes for these and other spe-cies are summarized from the basic observations and discussed in terms of reproductive strategies (Tinkle, et al, 1970; Duellman, 1978). Limitations of data include: (1) size at maturity for males was estimated from measurements of testes lengths and the presence of enlarged convoluted tubules in freshly preserved specimens, not from sections or smears of testicular tissue from which the presence of viable sperm can be detected; (2) small samples for a few species do not always reflect the full range of snout-vent lengths from hatchlings to adults; and, (3) samples were not taken during all months of the year, and sample sizes for any given month repre-sent the total collections from several habitats and islands. 1 Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045. Present address: The South Australian Museum, Adelaide 5000, South Australia.
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