Structure of the femora and autotomous (postpygal) caudal vertebrae in the three-toed skink Chalcides chalcides (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) and its applicability for age and growth rate determination

The limbs of the three-toed skink Chalcides chalcides are reduced to such a degree that the three digits are too small for skeletochronology. This study, performed on animals collected near Isernia (central Italy), describes the structure of the caudal vertebrae, which are often naturally lost due to autotomy, in order to determine whether they can be used to obtain data on age and growth with skeletochronological techniques. The reliability of the autotomous caudal vertebrae for skeletochronology was verified by performing skeletochronological analyses also on femora. Although the identification of the lines of arrested growth (LAGs) was easier in femora than in autotomous caudal vertebrae, a high correspondence of the LAG count between the two bones was observed. Females were larger and lived longer than males (4 and 3 years, respectively). For both sexes, the snout vent length (SVL) was significantly correlated with age. For both sexes, sexual maturity was attained after two hibernations from birth, beginning at the 20th month of age. At first reproduction, males had an SVL of 91–106 mm and females one of 111–150 mm. Von Bertalanffy growth curves of age versus SVL showed that females had slower growth rates than males for attaining their asymptotic SVL (females: 197 mm; males: 143 mm). The results provide the first data on age and growth of C. chalcide, and show that autotomous caudal vertebrae are reliable alternatives for obtaining such data for limb-reduced reptiles, avoiding the need to sacrifice or disable animals, as occurs when long bones are used.     

A skeletochronological study of age,growth and longevity in two freshwater turtles,Emys orbicularis and Mauremys rivulata,from Mediterranean Turkey (Reptilia: Testudines)

We estimated growth parameters of Emys orbicularis and Mauremys rivulata in Mediterranean Turkey with the skeletochronological method, using specimens drowned in fyke nets. In adult E. orbicularis, the median age was 8 years in males and 10 years in females. The median age of adult M. rivulata was 10 years for both sexes. Both species reach sexual maturity at an age of 5–7 years. No difference was found in age composition between the sexes.     

A skeletochronological analysis of a population of the Anatolia Newt,Neurergus strauchii (Steindachner, 1887) (Caudata: Salamandridae), in Eastern Anatolia,Turkey

This study presents data on age, growth and longevity of a population of Neurergus strauchii in Eastern Anatolia (Bingöl, Turkey) based on skeletochronological data. The phalangeal diaphyseal cross-sections of 54 individuals studied (12♂, 42♀) showed that females are on average older than males: the ages ranged from 6 to 14 years, with an average age of 8.8 years in males and 10.9 years in females. Sexual maturity is reached at an age of 4-5 years in both sexes. The slow growth and the longevity make the species vulnerable.     

骨龄学方法测定中国水蛇的年龄

取不同体长的中国水蛇（Ｅｎｈｙｄｒｉｓ ｃｈｉｎｅｎｓｉｓ）标本４４条（２９♀♀,１４♂♂,１胎蛇）,剥取心脏附近的椎骨５枚,按常规骨骼磨片方法磨制椎骨中部的横切片,于低倍光学显微镜下观察。可以看到,磨片上有清晰的生长层,年老的个体更典型。用椎骨半径对生长层厚度的回归方程和ｖｏｎ Ｂｅｒｔａｌａｎｆｆｙ的生长方程式估算在骨骼生长过程中被再吸收而消失了的生长层。结果,４４条标本的年龄范围是０～１１．     

基于骨龄学方法鉴定吐鲁番沙虎的年龄

基于113个标本的吻肛长频次数据,初步划分吐鲁番沙虎(Teratoscincus roborowskii)的年龄组,各年龄组共选取54例个体,分别截取第2右前趾骨第3趾节,用常规石蜡切片法进行了骨龄学鉴定。同时,根据野外标记重捕方法获得个体的形态学生长指标来验证年龄组划分的合理性。结果表明,吐鲁番沙虎雌雄个体间吻肛长差异不显著,可以合并进行年龄鉴定;吐鲁番沙虎的吻肛长和骨龄间有显著的相关性;对于小于6龄的个体,骨龄学的方法适用于吐鲁番沙虎年龄的鉴定。     

Growth, size and age at maturity of the agile frog (Rana dalmatina) in an Iberian Peninsula population

The mean age of a population of agile frogs (Rana dalmatina) from the Iberian Peninsula was estimated using mark and recapture and skeletochronology. Life-history parameters, including growth rate, body length, age and size at maturity, sexual dimorphism and longevity, were studied. The regression between age and snout-vent length (SVL) was highly significant in both sexes. Males reached sexual maturity at two years of age, although sometimes they can reach it at only one year of age. The average SVL at maturity was 51.75 mm (standard error (SE) = 0.71; n = 45). Females reached sexual maturity at two years of age with an average SVL of 62.14 mm (SE = 2.20; n = 14). A subset of the female population reached sexual maturity at three years of age. Growth was rapid until sexual maturity was reached. There was an overlap of SVL between different age classes. Growth was continuous, fulfilling the conditions of Von Bertalanffy's model. The growth coefficient (K) was 0.840 in males and 0.625 in females. The maximum SVL was greater in females (73.00 mm) than in males (59.50 mm). Sexual dimorphism was significantly biased towards females in all age classes. The maximum longevity observed was 6 years in females and 8 years in males. Management strategies for agile frogs should take into account factors such as these life-history characteristics.     

Sexual dimorphism and age of Mediterranean salamanders

We analysed sexual size dimorphism (SSD) for two Mediterranean species of the “true” salamander clade possessing distinct life histories (Salamandra algira and Mertensiella caucasica) and equilibrated the morphometric approach to individual age by using skeletochronology. For species that have a short breeding season and live at high altitudes, such as Mediterranean amphibians, the fecundity advantage hypothesis predicts female-biased SSD to maximise reproductive success. Our results showed no SSD in either species; however, morphometric data indicated a male-biased dimorphism in limb (arm and leg) dimensions in both species when compared to body size. Limb dimorphisms are likely related to the particular mating system, which involves an amplexus during spermatophore transfer. Arm length appeared sexually dimorphic during ontogeny both in viviparous S. algira and oviparous M. caucasica. A review on SSD indicated monomorphy of body size as a common lineage-specific pattern among the “true” salamander clade, but also the common presence of other traits such as sexually dimorphic limb proportions.     

Age structure and body size of the Chuanxi Tree Frog Hyla annectans chuanxiensis from two different elevations in Sichuan (China)

Age, body size, and growth patterns in the subtropical anuran Hyla annectans chuanxiensis from high (Dengchigou Protection Station) and low (Lingguan Town) elevations in Baoxing County of Sichuan province (China) were described using skeletochronology. Females were significantly older than males at the low-elevation site, but there was no significant difference between the sexes at the high-elevation site. Age at sexual maturity of both males and females was 2 years at the high-elevation site, whereas males matured at 1 year and females at 2 years at the low-elevation site. Males and females from the low-elevation population reached a maximum age of 3 and 4 years, respectively, whereas males and females from the high-elevation population reached a maximum age of 4 and 5 years, respectively. At both sites, females were significantly larger than males. Females and males from the high-elevation population were larger than individuals from the low-elevation population. When the effect of age was controlled, the differences in body size of the two populations were significant only for females. Von Bertalanffy growth curves indicated that the growth rates in males was greater than in females in both populations. They also showed that the growth of both sexes slowed at an earlier age in the low-elevation population than in the high-elevation population. The findings suggest that age is a major factor underlying body size patterns for both sexes, but that the elevation of the locality affects the body size of females.     

Changes in endosteal cell layer number of long bones are not appropriate for ageing birds: Evidence from Baltic razorbills (Alca torda Linnaeus, 1758)

Estimating the age of birds by counting the number of cell layers within the circumferential lamellae of the bone cortex gave promising results in some species (e.g., fulmar Fulmarus glacialis; shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis) but was not confirmed for others (e.g., Canada goose Branta canadensis; sandhill crane Grus canadensis). Moreover, different results were received for different bones from the same individual and the factors influencing these results have not been identified. We have evaluated the ageing method for a non-migratory population of razorbills (Alca torda) from Baltic Sea colonies by examining humeri from 38 razorbills recorded dead on the Polish coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. Only humeri of 19 birds showed clearly defined borders between the osteonal matrix and the endosteal bone. Razorbills were divided into three age categories by bill ornament (juveniles, immature, adults) and showed a trend towards a gradual loss of cell layers in the endosteal bone with increasing age, where median values totalled 8.5, 7 and 6 layers respectively. Our results indicate that counting the number of cell layers within the circumferential lamellae of the bone cortex is not a reliable methodology for ageing razorbills.