Sexual dimorphism in Trachylepis vittata (Olivier, 1804) (Sauria: Scincidae) in the Zagros Mountains, western Iran

Authors

NASRULLAH RASTEGAR-POUYANI
RAZIEH FATTAHI

DOI

10.3906/zoo-1311-17

Abstract

We describe sexual dimorphism in coloration, size, and shape in 48 specimens (19 males and 29 females) of the bridled skink, Trachylepis vittata (Olivier, 1804), collected from western regions of the Iranian Plateau. For the analyses, we used 29 metric and 9 meristic characters. Our study showed the existence of slight sexual size dimorphism in body and head size between the sexes. Males had significantly smaller heads and narrower bodies than females. Furthermore, males and females were different in the structure of the cloaca. The possible scenarios behind sexual dimorphism in this lizard are discussed.

Keywords

Bridled skink, Scincidae, sexual size dimorphism, sexual selection, Iranian Plateau

First Page

59

Last Page

65

Recommended Citation

RASTEGAR-POUYANI, NASRULLAH and FATTAHI, RAZIEH (2015) "Sexual dimorphism in Trachylepis vittata (Olivier, 1804) (Sauria: Scincidae) in the Zagros Mountains, western Iran," Turkish Journal of Zoology: Vol. 39: No. 1, Article 7. https://doi.org/10.3906/zoo-1311-17
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/vol39/iss1/7