Herpetologists' League

Loss of the Left Oviduct in the Colubrid Snake Genus Tantilla

Author(s): Donald R. Clark, Jr.
Source: Herpetologica, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Mar., 1970), pp. 130-133
Published by: Allen Press on behalf of the Herpetologists' League
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3891335
Accessed: 26-01-2016 16:13 UTC

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 LOSS OF THE LEFT OVIDUCT IN THE COLUBRID
SNAKE GENUS TANTILLA

DONALD R. CLARK, JR.

ABSTRACT: Dissections of snakes representing ten species and subspecies

of Tantilla show that seven lack a functional left oviduct. Mean length of
the vestigial oviduct varies among species; a statistically significant difference
was found between T. planiceps atriceps and T. gracilis. Selection pressures
associated with fossorial habits are thought to be the likely cause of oviducal
loss. Future systematic studies of species presently in this genus should con-
sider this characteristic.

Fox and Dessauer (1962) described the single right oviduct in

two, species each of Typhlops and Leptotyphlops and concluded,
"Since no other reptilian groups . . . possess only a right oviduct . . .
this appears to be a strong indication that the typhlopids and lepto-
typhlopids may have had a common ancestor . . . rather than that
they evolved independently from primitive snake or lizard stems.
On the other hand, the possibility of independent adaptation to
fossorial existence should not be overlooked."
More recently Underwood (1967) gave similar taxonomic weight
to this character, again on the assumption that it is unique to the
typhlopids and leptotyphlopids.
The present study emphasizes the feasibility of Fox and Des-
sauer's alternative suggestion by describing the oviducal condition
in 36 specimens of 10 species and subspecies of Tantilla.
SPECIMENSEXAMINED
During the past six years, I have dissected hundreds of speci-
mens belonging to numerous species of small colubrids in connection
with studies of their life histories. These dissections revealed that
Tantilla gracilis and T. nigriceps fumiceps possess only a single,
functional oviduct, and this finding led to the present study.
The following specimens in the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Col-
lection were used: T. armillata, 17169,; T. bocourti bocourti, 7382
and 11632; T. b. deviatrix, 700; T. calamarina, 7433; T. coronata,
10419 and 10420; T. deppei, 7347 through 7352; T. diabola, 23663;
T. gracilis, 15179, 18355, 18363, 18368, 19058, 20281, 23529, 23530,
29028 and 29030; T. nigriceps fumiceps, 8781, 18373, 19059, 19061,
19062 and 27468; and T. planiceps atriceps, 23526, 25931, 25932,
25964,25966and 26182.
RESULTS
In three taxa-bocourti bocourti, calamarina, and depppei-all
females examined have two complete, functional oviducts (Fig. 1).
HERPETOLOGICA 26:130-133. March, 1970

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1970 OVIDUCT LOSS IN TANTILLA 131

-ma

FIG. 1.-Urodeum and paired oviducts of Tantilla b. bocourti (TCWC

11632), T. calamarina (TCWC 7433), and T. deppei (TCWC 7347) from
top to bottom, respectively. Views are ventral; anteriorportion of right oviduict
of 11632 was cuit off at time of preservation. Scale at left is in millimeters.

In the other seven taxa, all females have a complete, functional, right
oviduct with the left re-duced to a vestige (Fig. 2). Note also that
the left lobe of the urodeum is reduced in those forms lacking a
left oviduct.
Both ovaries were present and normally developed in all speci-
mens examined.
Variation in development of the vestigial left oviduct is summa-
rized in Table 1. The only significant difference among the four
means is between p. atriceps and gracilis (t = 2.81, .01 < P < .02);
however, larger samples would probably yield other statistically
valid distinctions within the genus. Absolute lengths of vestigial
oviducts ranged from 0.5 to 5.1 mm.
DisCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
The structure of reptilian ovaries and oviducts is such that when
an egg is ovulated nothing guarantees it must move into its respec-
tive oviduct, and Legler (1958) indicated that "extra-uterine migra-
tion" of ova is commonplace. This being so, the left (= shortest)
oviduct could well be functionally superfluous. Fossorial conditions
producing selection for an elongated, cylindrical body-form could,
therefore, favor mutations reducing the size of the left oviduct.
Comparison of the fossorial tendencies of two-oviduct Tantilla with
those of one-oviduct species would be informative in this regard.
Experimental pro-cedures for such a comparison are, in the literature
(Clark, 1967).
Loss of the left oviduct in such distantly related groups as
Typhiops (Typhlopidae) and Leptotyphiops (Leptotyphlopidae)

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132 HERPETOLOGICA Vol. 26, No. 1

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FIG. 2.-Urodeum and single right oviduct of Tantilla armillata (TCWC

17169, oviduct contains an ovum anteriorly), T. coro-nata (TCWC 10419),
T. bocourti deviatrix (TCWC 700, oviduct is highly convoluted and with
thickened walls), T. diabola (TCWC 23663), T. gracilis (TCWC 29028), T.
nigriceps fumiceps (TCWC 19061), and T. planiceps atriceps (TCWC
25931) from top to bottom, respectively. Views are ventral, and scales at left
are in millimeters.

on the one hand and Tantilla (Colubridae) on the other suggests

that fossorial habits strongly favor such reduction, and that it might
have come about independently in several groups of burrowing
snakes.
Smith (1942) assigned the Mexican Tantilla to five major species-
groups. Of interest is that each of the three atypical, two-oviduct
forms (b. bocourti, calamari'na,and deppei) is in a different species-
group. Also, b. bocouirti and calamarina are each grouped with at
least one species now known to have a single, right oviduct.
Smith and Laufe (1945) placed deviatrix as a subspecies of
bocourti on the basis of two specimens each of which appeared
intermediate in its combination of head-pattern and ventral-count

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1970 OVIDUCT LOSS IN TANTILLA 133

TABLE 1.-Variation in development of the vestigial left oviduct in seven

species and subspecies of Tantilla. Measurements were taken in millimeters.

Length of left oviduct as a per cent

of snout-vent length
Sample
Taxon size Mean and S.E. Range
armillata 1 0.4
b. deviatrix 1 1.6
coronata 2 1.2 + 0.4 0.8-1.6
diabola 1 1.2
gracilis 10 1.4 ? 0.2 0.9-2.9
n. fumiceps 6 1.1 ? 0.2 0.6-1.9
p. atriceps 6 0.6 0.1 0.3-1.2

characteristics; deviatrix was known from two specimens. This

placement of deviatrixmay be unjustified since the specimen of this
form herein dissected has one oviduct while the nominal bocourti
have two.
Presence or absence of the left oviduct constitutes a major struc-
tural difference in the female reproductive system. Such variation
should be important in future systematic studies of the species
presently placed in the genus Tantilla.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank Dr. James R. Dixon for the use of specimens under his
care and Dr. Richard J. Baldauf for taking the photographs. Drs.
Dixon, Baldauf, and Dilford C. Carter provided critical reviews of
the manuscript for which I am also grateful.
This is contribution No. 7967 of the Texas Agricultural Experi-
ment Station.
LImRATURE CITED
CLARK,D. R., JR. 1967. Experimentsinto selection of soil type, soil moisture
level, and temperatureby five species of small snakes. Trans. Kansas Acad.
Sci. 70:490-496.
Fox, W., AND H. C. DESSAUER. 1962. The single right oviduct and other
urogenital structures of female Typhlops and Leptotyphlops. Copeia 1962:
590-597.
LEGLER,J. M. 1958. Extra-uterine migration of ova in turtles. Herpeto-
logica 14:49-52.
SMITH, H. M. 1942. A resume of Mexican snakes of the genus Tantilla.
Zoologica27:33-42.
, AND L. E. LAUFE. 1945. Mexican amphibians and reptiles in
the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collections. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 48:
325-354.
UNDERWOOD, G. 1967. A contribution to the classification of snakes. Brit.
Mus. (Natur. Hist.) Pub. No. 653, 179 p.
Department of Wildlife Science, Texas A&M University,
College Station, Texas 77843

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