REPRODUCTION IN THE CURLY-TAILED LIZARD LEIOCEPHALUS-PSAMMODROMUS FROM THE CAICOS ISLANDS

Reproduction and population structure were examined for the curly-tail ed lizard Leiocephalus psammodromus from the Caicos Islands, British W est Indies, from 1973 to 1978. Females and males mature at about 65-70 and 75-80 mm snout-vent length, respectively, and at about 1.5-2 year s of age. Both male and female reproduction were seasonal, with egg-la ying beginning late in the dry season (late April) and ending well int o the wet season (September), with hatching during the wet season (lat e June to December). Multiple annual clutches are probably produced. C lutch size was typically two eggs (mean = 1.72 for 42 clutches). Eggs (preserved) averaged 19.9 x 9.2 mm, and mean preserved egg mass was 1. 04 g. Fatbody mass in both males and females decreases with the onset of the reproductive season. The age/size structure of the population v aried from month to month, depending on recruitment of hatchlings. Rep roduction in Leiocephalus psammodromus is similar to that of other tro pical lizards in seasonal environments.