Nesting of Phrynops geoffroanus (Testudines: Chelidae) on sandy beaches along the Upper Xingu River, Brazil

Nesting of Phrynops geoffroanus (Testudines: Chelidae) on sandy beaches along the Upper Xingu River, Brazil

This work presents the first data on incubation temperature of Phrynops geoffroanus (Schweigger, 1812) in a natural environment, and provides information on nest predation, hatching success and size of offspring born in the nests on sandy beaches along the Upper Xingu River. Thirty-one P. geoffroanu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zoologia (Curitiba, Brazil) Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 571 - 576
Main Authors: Ferreira Júnior, Paulo D., Balestra, Rafael A. M., Moreira, José R., Freitas, Fábio de O., Lustosa, Ana P. G., Jorge, Rafael F., Rosa, Artur J. de M., Sampaio, Antônio A., Gomes, Aline S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Curitiba Sociedade Brasileira de Zoologia 01-10-2011
Subjects:
Beaches
Eggs
Embryos
Geoffroy's side-necked turtle
Geographical distribution
Hatching
hatching success
Incubation
National parks
Natural environment
nest predation
Nesting
Nests
Offspring
Reptiles & amphibians
Rivers
Sediments
Success
Xingu Indigenous Park
ZOOLOGY
Brazil
Xingu River
Geoffroy's side-necked turtle
nest predation
Xingu Indigenous Park
incubation
hatching success
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Summary:This work presents the first data on incubation temperature of Phrynops geoffroanus (Schweigger, 1812) in a natural environment, and provides information on nest predation, hatching success and size of offspring born in the nests on sandy beaches along the Upper Xingu River. Thirty-one P. geoffroanus nests were found, of which eleven were completely predated, mainly by Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766). Incubation was completed in nine out of the 17 nests protected by netting. The nests presented an average of 13.1 eggs and were distributed over the various geomorphological sectors of the nine sampled beaches. The size and weight of the hatchlings varied significantly between nests, and the incubation period in protected nests lasted for 76.5 days, less than reported for controlled incubation in the laboratory. Daily variation in incubation temperature in the three nests monitored for temperature was lower in those situated in fine sand sediments. Incubation temperature varied from 22 to 39 C and may have affected hatching success, which reached 60.8% in protected nests. Nest distribution in different geomorphological sectors indicated the plasticity of P. geoffroanus in terms of variation in nesting environment, which partly explains the species' broad geographical distribution.
ISSN:1984-4689
1984-4670
1984-4689
DOI:10.1590/S1984-46702011000500004