Meeting Abstract

P2-56   -   Female Aneides aeneus avoid mating with inferior males near egg deposition time Cupp, PV; Eastern Kentucky University paul.cupp@eku.edu

During the breeding season, male green salamanders, Aneides aeneus, defend rock crevice territories within which gravid females are accepted resulting in male-female pairs occupying the crevice for days or weeks. Here females mate with males that have successfully defended crevice territories. Some females may deposit eggs in these crevices. Other gravid females may move out to other brooding crevices where they wait to deposit their eggs. These females have already mated and have sperm stored. Late in the breeding season, some males may enter rock crevices containing gravid females waiting to deposit eggs. These females appear to reject these males as egg deposition time nears. Many males are likely satellite males that have not defended territories and thus might be considered to have inferior sperm compared to males that have defended territories. By placing unfamiliar males with resident gravid females in lab and field during June, most of the females avoided mating with these potentially inferior males. Females would often just leave the crevice or remain in the crevice and resist the males attempt to initiate courtship. Some females became quite aggressive and chased males from crevices. Thus, it appears adaptive for gravid females to avoid mating with inferior males near egg deposition time. Females have likely previously mated with territorial males and should not mate with inferior males and dilute sperm stored in spermatheca with inferior sperm This description of gravid female A. aeneus rejecting less fit males is a prime example of female mate choice in plethodontid salamanders.