MALE COURTSHIP PHEROMONES INCREASE FEMALE RECEPTIVITY IN A PLETHODONTID SALAMANDER

The effect of courtship pheromones on female receptivity was tested in the terrestrial plethodontid salamander Desmognathus ochrophaeus by staging encounters between 50 male-female pairs. Male mental glands were ablated to prevent uncontrolled delivery of the pheromones. Glands were used to create a pheromone extract for experimental application. A female was treated with the extract 30 min prior to a courtship encounter and, in other encounters, the same female was treated with a saline control. Observations of courtship behaviour were taken by scan samples every 15 min for 6 h. A female receiving the pheromone treatment mated an average of 28% (59 min) sooner than she did after receiving the control treatment. These results are the first quantitative documentation that courtship pheromones function in salamanders directly to increase female receptivity. © 1990.