Thermal Dependence of Food Assimilation in Two Juvenile Skinks,Sphenomorphus indicus and Eumeces elegans

We studied the thermal dependence of food assimilation in two juvenile skinks,Sphenomorphus indicus (snout-vent length:42.8-54.4 mm,n=12) and Eumeces elegans (snout-vent length:43.9-57.3 mm,n=10),from a population in Chuzhou,Anhui,eastern China.The temperature of experiments was set 24,26,28,30 and 32℃,respectively.Food passage time,daily food intake,apparent digestive coefficient (ADC),assimilation efficiency (AE) and body-mass change of two skinks were affected by temperature.The food passage time decreased with increase in temperature within the range from 24 to 30℃ and then nearly leveled at higher temperatures in two juvenile skinks.Daily food intake,bodymass change of juvenile S.indicus were lower at 30 and 32℃ than those from 24 to 28℃,ADC and AE decreased with increase in temperature within the range from 24 to 30℃ and increased at 32℃.Daily food intake of juvenile E.elegans increased from 24 to 26℃,and decreased at temperatures higher than 26℃.ADC and AE were higher in body temperature within the range from 24 to 28℃ than those at 30 and 32℃.Bodymass change was apparently greater at 26℃ than at other lower or higher temperatures.Our data indicate that the food assimilation of the juvenile S.indicus and E.elegans are lower than the adults.