Flexibility can be important in male–female behavioral interactions, particularly during courtship when a male typically adjusts his behavior in response to the female. Red-legged Salamanders (Plethodon shermani) have highly stereotyped courtship behaviors but show flexibility in the repetition of particular behaviors. We tested one measure of flexibility in a specific male courtship behavior: pheromone delivery. We compared the number of male pheromone delivery attempts that occurred when a male “slapped” his pheromone-producing mental gland on the female's nares. We compiled a multiyear data set from earlier experiments on salamander behavior to test the consistency in the number of slaps each male delivered in two different courtships. The consistency level was 26% (26% of the total deviance in slapping behavior could be explained by previous slapping behavior), a value within the range of measures for other vertebrate behavioral traits. We interpret this consistency as a possible advantage to the male in delivering sufficient pheromone such that the female will not abandon the male during the critical process of sperm transfer.
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1 December 2010
Consistency of Male Courtship Behavior in a Plethodontid Salamander
Lynne D. Houck,
Elyse A. Vaccaro,
Karen M. Kiemnec-Tyburczy
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Journal of Herpetology
Vol. 44 • No. 4
December 2010
Vol. 44 • No. 4
December 2010