Reproductive function of the body and tail undulations of hynobius leechii (Amphibia: Hynobiidae): A quantitative approach

Ovulated female salamander (Hynobius leechii) respond to water currents

“…33(3): 217-222, 2010 responds to the body undulation of other males (Tanaka 1987, Usuda 1995. A recent study also demonstrated that H. leechii males respond to water currents generated by other males using their mechanosensory system (Park et al 2008, Kim et al 2009). …”

“…When a Hynobius male and female encounter one another, the male salamander performs body undulations when its snouts are in contact with the female's skin (Tanaka 1986, Park and Park 2000, Kim et al 2009). Body undulation is defined as an intermittent undulation of the body trunk and tail, which generates water currents.…”

“…A recent study also demonstrated that H. leechii males respond to water currents generated by other males using their mechanosensory system (Park et al 2008, Kim et al 2009). Previous studies have demonstrated that when Hynobius females are nearing oviposition, they approach a tree twig or rocks, rub their cloaca on that site, and attach their oviposited eggs to the sites (Sato 1992, Hasumi 1994, Park et al 1996, Kim et al 2009). Additionally, female H. nigrescens have been shown to approach a glass rod that generates water currents, and their response is intensified when they are close to oviposition (< 2 hours to oviposition) (Usuda 1995).…”

“…Additionally, female H. nigrescens have been shown to approach a glass rod that generates water currents, and their response is intensified when they are close to oviposition (< 2 hours to oviposition) (Usuda 1995). Furthermore, female H. leechii have been shown to approach a tree twig next to which males are performing body undulation, thereby suggesting that females might respond to water currents caused by the body undulations of the males (Kim et al 2009). However, in the former study, the authors did not control for visual signals during their experiments, whereas in the latter study, the authors did not conduct control experiments.…”

Mating behavior of the Mongolian racerunner (Eremias argus; Lacertidae, Reptilia)

“…Although the captive propagation of an endangered population is often considered if population sizes in the field are small, a lack of information about the ethological aspects of endangered species has resulted in the failure of captive breeding programs (Burghardt and Milostan 1995). Therefore, studies on the mating and related behaviors of various endangered species (Rodríguez-Domínguez and Molina-Borja 1998; Schofield et al 2006;Kim et al 2009;Lee et al 2010) have been successfully applied to captive breeding programs (Gillingham and Miller 1991;Mesa-Avila and Molina-Borja 2007). However, the mating behaviors of endangered reptiles are rarely studied in Asia (Qi et al 2011).…”