Mating behaviour of Ctenomys mendocinus (Rodentia, Ctenomyidae)

CAMÍN S

ZEITSCHRIFT FUR SAUGETIERKUNDE-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY

URBAN & FISCHER

Año: 1999 p. 230 - 238

0044-3468

Mating behaviour of Ctenomys mendocinus (Rodentia, Ctenomyidae) Abstract This is the first description of mating behaviour in Ctenomys mendocinus. Observations were conducted in a transparent acrylic  pipe, under dim red light. The description of the courtship and copulation stages was based on 18 trials (7males, 9 females, 17 couples). The mating behaviour of Ctenomys mendocinus was characterized by vocalizations, long courtship, long bouts of precopulatory interactions, lengthy intromissions, a brief copulation stage, aggressive copulatory postures and mutual indifference after ejaculation. The mating and copulation patterns in Ctenomys mendocinus are similar to those of other solitary subterranean, phylogenetically unrelated, forms (e.g. Spalax and geomyids). This suggests that copulatory behaviour of C. mendocinus its closely related to its social structure. On the other hand, the structure of precopulatory interactions in C. mendocinus is very much like that of some solitary and social bathyergids possibly reflecting phylogenetic affinities. Key words: Ctenomys mendocinus, copulatory behaviour, social biology