Herpetologica (50)1, 1994, 46-50
©1994 by The Herpetologists' League
TERRESTRIAL COURTSHIP AFFECTS MATING
LOCATIONS IN AMBYSTOMA OPACUM
John D. Krenz and David E. Scott
Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens GA, 30602, USA
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
ABSTRACT: The incidence of insemination in migrating female Ambystoma
opacum was studied in a breeding population near a Carolina bay in South
Carolina. Of 77 females that were hand captured substantial distances from the nesting
area and then held in isolation, 24-38 (31-49%) produced fertile clutches. The
capture of females during migration that had been inseminated before reaching the pond
basin suggests that the timing and location of mating is more variable in this species as
compared to other ambystomatids. The evolution of terrestrial courtship, coupled with the
potential for high mate competition among males at the nesting area, may have provided an
opportunity for sexual selection of an alternate male mating strategy.
Key Words: Caudata; Terrestrial breeding; Sexual selection; Ambystoma opacum; Mating location.