Sex ratio and mortality in a laboratory colony of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

Abstract

SummaryIn a retrospective study sex ratio and mortality were analysed in a captive colony of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Seven hundred and thirty-five infants in 294 litters (20 singletons, 119 twins, 140 triplets, 14 quadruplets) out of 57 breeding females were evaluated. The sex ratio at birth was O· 95 males: 1· 0 females. The frequency of males and females, as well as the sex composition of twins and triplets confirm the assumption of dizygotic twinning in the common marmoset. According to age at death, 9 categories were differentiated, with perinatal mortality being the highest. Once early infancy had passed the probability of a common marmoset infant of our colony reaching childhood is nearly 95070. Sixty per cent of all liveborn infants survived beyond 18 months. Morta1ity of infants at birth from primiparous mothers did not differ from that of pluriparous females, nor did the survival rate of infants with the filial generation the respective female had reached (F1 to F 6 ). Females with a high ratio of triplets and quadruplets had a lower reproductive success than females with a majority of singleton or twin deliveries. Differential mortality between males and females was not observed. The frequency of stillbirths was not strongly related to parity, but was to litter-size. Most stillborn babies were seen· in sets of quadruplets, most abortions in singletons. A normal socialization in a stable social environment, as well as not pairing the animals before they are fully adult, are considered important factors in good breeding success and infant survival.

Litter Size Does Not Interfere with Fertility in Common Marmosets, Callithrix jacchus

“…The incidence of stillborns in our colony was more frequent in the first litter, as was also observed by Rothe et al [12], but we cannot associate it with birth weight of the infants because we do not have data for all the stillborn animals.…”

“…These results disagree with those reported by Rothe et al [12] and Box and Hubrecht [13] but are closely similar to those observed by Phillips [14]. The higher proportion of triplets than twins in the first two studies was related to the high quality of food in captivity.…”

X-ray pelvimetry in common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus - LINNAEUS, 1758)

“…In a retrospective study of a colony of Callithrix jacchus, in 294 births a perinatal mortality rate of 20.6% was observed (ROTHE et al 1992). Richter (1984) cites 11 dystocias in 1,046 births of callitrichideos.…”

The variances of the distributions of the combinations of the sexes within mammalian litters: Notes to mark the centenary of the problem

“…Subsequent data suggests that there is no such phenomenon either in the moose (Nygren & Kojala 1997), or the common marmoset (Rothe et al 1992). In contrast there has been confirmation of the suggestions in regard to the pig (Brooks et al 1991) and the mouse (Krackow 1992 a); and fresh data supporting the suggestion in the rat (Blumberg et al 1992;Hornig & McClintock 1997), the sheep (James 1976-though see Skjervold 1979, in some hamster litters (Clark et al 1991), the spotted hyena (Hofer & East 1997;James et al 1999) and in roe deer (Macdonald and Johnson 2008).…”