MATE-GUARDING BEHAVIOR IN ANURANS: INTRA-SEXUAL SELECTION AND THE EVOLUTION OF PROLONGED AMPLEXUS IN THE HARLEQUIN TOAD ATELOPUS LAETISSIMUS.

Mate guarding in anurans may consist of a prolonged amplexus or copulatory clasp by the male starting well prior to egg laying. In this study we combined field observations and experimental studies of the Santa Marta Harlequin Toad, Atelopus laetissimus, to elucidate whether the prolonged amplexus in A. laetissimus evolved as a mate-guarding strategy promoted by intense intra-sexual selection in males engaging in amplexus displacement attempts. First, we asked how the ability of a male to successfully defend its amplexus status against interlopers is related to body condition and 13 other morphological traits. Second, we tested whether the following characteristics were associated with mating success and mate guarding in A. laetissimus: clasp force, amplexus duration, and males’ reproductive effort.

无尾目动物的配偶守卫行为，可表现为雄性在产卵前较长时间便启动的抱合（amplexus）或交配钳制行为。本研究以圣玛塔丑角蟾蜍（Atelopus laetissimus）为研究对象，整合野外观察与实验研究手段，旨在阐明该物种的长时间抱合是否演化为由参与抱合取代尝试的雄性间激烈性内选择所推动的配偶守卫策略。首先，我们探究了雄性成功抵御闯入者以维持其抱合状态的能力，与身体状况及其他13项形态特征之间的相关性。其次，我们检验了以下特征是否与圣玛塔丑角蟾蜍的交配成功率及配偶守卫行为存在关联：抱合力、抱合时长，以及雄性的繁殖投入。