Selected body temperature, thermal tolerance and thermal dependence of food assimilation and locomotor performance in adult blue-tailed skinks, Eumeces elegans

1. Selected body temperature, thermal tolerance and influences of temperature on food assimilation and locomotor performance were studied in adult blue-tailed skinks, Eumeces elegans, from a population in Zhejiang, eastern China. 2. The selected body temperature (30.4 degrees C) of males was on average 3.6 degrees C higher than that of females (26.8 degrees C). No between-sex differences in thermal tolerance were found, and the critical thermal minimum and the critical thermal maximum averaged 9.3 and 41.9 degrees C, respectively. 3. The passage time decreased with increase in temperature within the range of 22 to 34 degrees C and increased at higher temperatures. 4. The food intake generally increased with increase in temperature within the range of 22 to 30 degrees C and decreased at higher temperatures. 5. The apparent digestive coefficient and the assimilation efficiency were both insensitive to temperature. 6. Eumeces elegans gained mass between 22 and 34 degrees C, lost mass at 36 degrees C and gained relatively more mass at temperatures around 26 degrees C. 7. The sprint speed increased with increase in temperature within the range of 18 to 34 degrees C, and decreased at higher temperatures. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.