Clutch Parameters of Storeria dekayi Holbrook 

 (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Southcentral Florida 



Walter E. Meshaka, Jr. 



Archbold Biological Station 



P.O. Box 2057 

 Lake Placid, Florida 33852 



ABSTRACT — I examined clutch characteristics from a series of 

 Storeria dekayi collected in southcentral Florida from March to 

 July 1990. Clutch size averaged 8.5 and was not significantly 

 associated with female body size. The small clutch sizes of this 

 sample conformed to predictions of clutch size reduction in southern 

 populations. However, the data did not support predictions of 

 increased clutch number in southern populations. Possibly, high 

 relative clutch mass detected in this population and an unaltered 

 breeding season hinder production of more than one clutch annually. 



Two latitudinal clines in snakes have been proposed that predict 

 differences in clutch size and number along a geographic gradient. The 

 first predicts a decrease in clutch size from north to south (Fitch 1985). 

 The second hypothesis predicts an increase in clutch number at lower 

 latitudes concomitant with a longer reproductive season (Fitch 1970). 



The reproductive biology of Storeria dekayi in Florida is poorly 

 known; however, parturition dates of this species are available from 

 Florida (Iverson 1978), and they do not differ from parturition dates in 

 more northern populations (Fitch 1970). Iverson's (1978) data do not 

 support the prediction of a latitudinal cline in clutch number for this 

 species. 



With few exceptions, Iverson (1978) found that most Florida snake 

 species he examined did not conform to the prediction of multiple 

 clutches in southern populations. In this article I present additional 

 reproductive data for female S. dekayi from south Florida which permit 

 testing Fitch's (1985) hypothesis of clutch size reduction in southern 

 populations and further evaluation of the likelihood of multiple clutch 

 production in this species at the southern limit of its geographic range 

 (Fitch 1970). 



METHODS 



Snakes were collected from 1830 to 2200 hours from a paved 

 road (C-621) near Lake Placid, Highlands County, Florida, during March- 

 July 1990. All snakes observed were collected, frozen within 3 hours 

 of capture, and dissected the next day. 



Brimleyana 21:73-76. December 1994 73 



