Population Structure and Reproduction in the Marine Snake, Lapemis Hardwickii Gray, from the West Coast of Sabah.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
Population Structure and Reproduction in the Marine Snake, Lapemis Hardwickii Gray, from the West Coast of Sabah. |
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Author :
Han Kwai Hin, Robert B. Stuebing and Harold K. Voris |
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Abstract:
A total of 754 specimens of Lapemis hardwickii were collected by trawlers operating off the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia from the Sabah Fish Marketing wharf in Kota Kinabalu between January and December, 1987. Variations in population structure and reproductive condition through time were studied. No sexual dimorphism was observed although the females were on the average heavier and longer (mean weight: 277.0 g and mean total length: 727.3 mm) than males (mean weight: 249.2 g and mean total length 716.0 mm) with an overall sex ratio of 1:1. Nearly 100% of females collected between January and March carried 1-6 large yolky eggs indicating the occurrence of synchronized breeding within this region. The baby snakes were estimated to be bom between July and September with a mean birth weight of 39.7 g and a total length of 373.4 mm. The parabolic relationship between egg weight and body weight of the females suggests that there is a maximal amount of energy to be invested into reproduction..
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Han Kwai Hin et al. (1991). Population Structure and Reproduction in the Marine Snake, Lapemis Hardwickii Gray, from the West Coast of Sabah. The Sarawak Museum Journal, XLII (63): 463-475 |
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References
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