- 期刊
赤尾青竹絲雌雄二型性之再探討
Sexual Dimorphism of Chinese Green Tree Viper, Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri
摘要
我們檢視了168隻雄蛇和147隻雌蛇後發現赤尾青竹絲具有明顯的雌雄二型現象。輸精管內已有精子的最小雄蛇吻肛長為37.0公分，卵巢內有成熟濾泡（含卵黃，濾泡長度大於5mm者）或輸卵管內有胚胎的最小雌蛇吻肛長為43.2公分，依此最小雌雄蛇的吻肛長做為判斷性成熟的標準。在成熟個體體型方面，雌蛇頭部相對較雄蛇大而雌蛇體長、體重也較雄蛇大；雌蛇尾長相封較雄蛇短，雌蛇尾寬相對較雄蛇細小。未成熟個體體型之雌雄二型現象較不明顯，但有些形質於雌雄間亦具顯著差異，如雌蛇尾長相對較雄蛇短以及雌蛇尾寬相對較雄蛇細小。在體側側線顏色方面，不論成熟或未成熟個體，雄蛇多俱有紅色及白色側線而雌蛇則為白色側線，但有例外的情形，例外的比率和相關學者的研究結果有著些許差異。再者，雄蛇白色側線在體側分布較雌蛇長，有些雄蛇體背中線具有白點組成之縱列，而雌蛇全無此現象。關於上述結果之生物意義，我們有較深入的探討。
並列摘要
We measured eleven morphometric characters of Chinese green tree vipers, Trimeresurus stejncgeri stejnegeri in Taiwan. The data from 168 male and 147 female snakes revealed that sexual dimorphism was pronounced either in mature or immature snakes. Minimum snout-vent lengths(SVL) at sexual maturity of male and female snakes were 37.0 and 43.2 cm respectively. Relative tail length and width of male snakes were higher than females either in mature or immature snakes. Body weight, SVL, head length, width and depth of female snakes were larger than males only in mature but not in immature group. Besides, both groups of male snakes had a prominent lateral white stripe edged with a narrow red stripe beneath it. Also, most females whether mature or not did not have the red stripe but only the white stripe. Individuals with reversal color pattern such as males had only white stripe and females had both white and red stripes were found in both sexes. The percentages of reversal color pattern were different between sexes and geographically. Finally, we found a few males with various white small dots scattered along their green back body. This color pattern was never found in female snakes.