Notes on Virginia in Virginia 89 



Table 1. Comparison of Virginia striatula from Virginia and Brazos County, 

 Texas. All values are means ± one standard error; sample sizes are in 

 parentheses. All lengths are in mm; SVL = snout-vent length. 



Measurement 



Present study 



Clark (1964) 



Litter size 



6.0 ±0.3 



(24) 



4.9±0.5(16) a 



SVL; males 



164.2 ±6.6 



(26) 



148.0 ±2.5 (169) 

 226.0 (16) 



SVL; gravid females 



210.1 ±3.9 



(24) 



SVL; all females 



179.7 ±7.6 



(46) 



167.2 ±3.6 (155) 



Tail length; males 



41.5 ± 1.8 



(26) 



20.6 ±0.1 (133) 



Tail length; females 



35.0 ± 1.5 



(42) 



16.9 ±0.1 (126) 



Tail length/ SVL; males 



0.253 ± 0.004 (26) 



- 



Tail length /SVL; females 



0.203 ± 0.002 (42) 



- 



Ventrals; males 



118.7 ±0.3 



(26) 



126.2 ±0.2 (169) 



Ventrals; females 



125.2 ±0.3 



(46) 



133.2 ±0.2 (155) 



Subcaudals; males 



42.4 ±0.6 



(26) 



46.6 ±0.2 (133) 



Subcaudals; females 



36.2 ±0.2 



(42) 



39.3 ±0.2 (125) 



Litter size in Clark and Fleet (1976) is 5.3 ± 



0.5(12) 





SVL in Clark and Fleet (1976) 



is 218.0 (12) 







Table 2. Morphometric data for Virginia valeriae in central Virginia. Values are 

 means ± one standard error. See text for sample sizes. 



Measurement Males Females 



Snout-vent length (mm) 1 35. 1 ± 8.5 1 45.4 ± 12.5 



Tail length (mm) 30.6 ± 2.2 22.5 ± 1.6 



Tail length /snout-vent length 0.225 ± 0.004 0.160 ± 0.005 



Ventrals 114.6 ±0.5 119.5 ±0.7 



Subcaudals 35.4 ± 0.5 26.0 ± 0.5 



Sex Ratios and Reproduction 



Significantly more female V. striatula were collected than males 

 (X 2 = 5.0, Yates continuity correction performed). We found no signifi- 

 cant difference in sex ratios of V. valeriae. 



The smallest gravid V. striatula was 175 mm snout-vent length. 

 Thirty-one of the forty-six females (67%) in this study reached or 

 exceeded this size, and mean size of mature females was 210.0 mm 

 (SE = 3.9). Excluding those females below 175 mm and those mature 

 females captured outside the reproductive period (see below), 100% 

 (24/24) possessed yolked eggs and /or embryos or gave birth to young in 

 the laboratory. Size of ovarian eggs apparently begins to increase in late 



