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Stimuli influencing mating behavior in the garter snake, Thamnophis radix

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Summary

  1. 1.

    Following copulation, female Thamnophis radix are unattractive to sexually active males for at least 48 h; the stimulus basis for this change is the mating plug produced by secretion from the male's renal sex segment.

  2. 2.

    The mating plug inhibits the courtship behavior of other, unmated males.

  3. 3.

    The effect of mating and the mating plug on female sexual attractivity and receptivity serves to maximize a male's reproductive success by minimizing the probability of multiple inseminations.

  4. 4.

    Loss of attractivity and mating-associated behavioral changes protect the female from subsequent courtships and copulations, thus minimizing predation dangers.

  5. 5.

    Inhibition of other male's courtship behavior confers a reproductive advantage on the mating male; this odor may be the stimulus underlying unsuccessful male dispersal from mating balls.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Harvard University, 02138, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Patrick Ross Jr. & David Crews

  2. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 02138, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Patrick Ross Jr. & David Crews

  3. Department of Social Relations, Harvard University, 02138, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Patrick Ross Jr. & David Crews

  4. Department of Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 02138, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Patrick Ross Jr. & David Crews

Authors
  1. Patrick Ross Jr.
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  2. David Crews
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Ross, P., Crews, D. Stimuli influencing mating behavior in the garter snake, Thamnophis radix . Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 4, 133–142 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354976

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354976

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