著者

沢田,昭三

出版者

東京動物學會

雑誌

動物学雑誌

巻号頁・発行日

vol.70, no.10, 1961-10-15

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1. The mating behavior of newts collected from 7 localities of Japan was observed in detail with the purpose of studying the mechanisms of the sexual isolation among them. 2. Kagoshima, Hiroshima, Niigata, and Aomori newts are very similar to one another in the mating behavior. Males of Sasayama and Atsumi newtssomewhat differ from those of other localities in the courtship behavior. The mating behavior of Atsumi newts it always performed in the dark. 3. Females of kanto newts answer the courtship of males with either of the two kinds of consent signs, that is, biting or pushing action against the lateral side of the nack ofa male. The biting sign is very frequently used by females of Kanto newts, while it is scarcely found among females from other localities. This kind of sign given by females of Kanto newts is hardly recognized by any males other than thoseof Kanto. 4. Females of Kanto newts give a sign by biting action or touch against the lateral sides of the tails of males when they accompany the males. However, the biting sign given by the females is also hardly recognized by any male newts other than those of Kanto. Accodingly acceptance of sperm masses by females scarcely occur when females of Kanto Newts are in company with males of newts from other localities. 5. From these observations, difference in mating behavior seems to be an important cause of the sexual isolation found between different local races of the Japanese newts.