brown snake, Rhadinea decorata (Serpentes, Colubridae), from Costa Rica

Rhadinea decorata (Colubridae) is known from humid broadleaf evergreen forests from southern Mexico to Ecuador; it is active in the daytime and eats mainly Eleutherodactylus frogs and their terrestrial eggs (Savage 2002). Solórzano (2004) reported R. decorata clutch sizes of up to four eggs. The purpose of this paper is to present new information on the reproductive cycle of R. decorata from Costa Rica based on a histological examination of gonadal material from museum specimens. The first information on the timing of the testicular cycle is also presented. Comparisons are made with the timing of testicular cycles of other snakes from Costa Rica as part of an ongoing series of studies on the reproductive biology of snakes from this area. A sample of 22 specimens of R. decorata from Costa Rica (collected 1959-1985) was examined from the herpetology collection of th