Limited Male Mating Capacity in the Smooth Newt, Triturus vulgaris vulgaris (Amphibia)

• Published in: Journal of comparative psychology (1983) 1986-09, Vol.100 (3), p.291-295
• Main Author: Verrell, Paul A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amphibia and reptilia; Animal; Animal ethology; Animal Mating Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Male; Male Animals; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Salamanders; Vertebrata
• ISSN: 0735-7036; 1939-2087
• DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.100.3.291

It is commonly assumed that male animals are able to produce large numbers of sperm and/or ejaculates at a rapid rate and that male mating success is thus constrained mainly by the availability of receptive females. Two experiments were conducted in order to determine the capacity for multiple mating in males of the European smooth newt, Triturus vulgaris vulgaris (L.). When exposed to four potential mates simultaneously (Experiment 1), all males tested completed one courtship encounter, depositing at least one spermatophore each. The temporal structure of the courtship of males exposed to four females was not different from that of males courting in the absence of other females. The majority of the males tested were unable to complete a second courtship encounter that was initiated immediately following a first; only 9% of the males tested deposited spermatophores during the second encounter. In Experiment 2, males were allowed to "rest" between successive courtship encounters. A period of rest of between 24 and 48 hr was required if the same number of spermatophores was to be deposited during each courtship encounter. These results clearly indicate that male mating capacity is intrinsically limited in the smooth newt, and it is suggested that some aspect of spermatophore availability is responsible for this constraint.