FIGURE 6 in At the lower size limit in snakes: two new species of threadsnakes (Squamata: Leptotyphlopidae: Leptotyphlops) from the Lesser Antilles

FIGURE 6. Relationship of egg shape, clutch size, and body shape in snakes. (A) A log-log plot of egg shape (length/ width) and clutch size (number of eggs) among 193 species of snakes (Appendix 1). The equation for the regression line is: log egg shape = -0.602 (log clutch size) + 0.877. Symbols are means of each species; star indicates L. carlae; other data from the literature. (B) A similar plot for variation within four species; symbols are individuals of each species (closed circles, Coluber constrictor Linnaeus; open circles, Pantherophis obsoletus; triangles, Diadophis punctatus Linnaeus; "x's", Lampropeltis triangulum Lacépède); data are from Appendix 2. (C) A similar plot for variation among clutches of the same female snake; symbols are means of eggs within a clutch (closed circles, Lampropeltis mexicana Garman; open circles, Naja melanoleuca Hallowell; triangles, Elaphe climacophora Boie; squares, Lampropeltis triangulum); lines connect clutches of same snake; data are from Appendix 3. Representations of eggs of different shapes are shown at right for comparison. (D) Relationship of body shape and egg shape in snakes. Shown are the shapes of four snakes of different lengths ranging from 10 cm SVL (top) to 100 cm (bottom). The shapes are derived from the mean of the slopes (0.90) and intercepts (-1.39) determined across all snakes for the log-log regression of SVL and body width (W) at midbody (Table 2), resulting in these average body shapes: 31 (SVL/W) for 10 cm SVL, 34 for 22 cm SVL, 36 for 46 cm SVL and 39 for 100 cm SVL. Average egg shapes are shown for each clutch size indicated, from the relationship in (A) above. The position of the clutch, starting at approximately 10% of SVL anterior to the vent, is based on the results of Shine (1988). A 'v' indicates the position of the vent.