Female mimicry in garter snakes
Female mimicry in garter snakes
复制标题
袜带蛇的雌性拟态
作者：
R. Mason;D. Crews
在许多不同的类群中，同一物种的雄性往往表现出多种交配策略1。一种有据可查的替代雄性生殖模式是“雌性模仿”，即雄性呈现出类似雌性的形态2 -8或模仿雌性的行为模式9，10。在某些物种中，雄性会模仿雌性的形态和行为2，7，11，12。我们在这里报告的女性拟态的爬行动物，红边束带蛇（Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis）。这种形式的模仿是独特的，因为它被表达为生理女性化。求爱的雄性红边束带蛇能探测到一种雌性特有的信息素，通常会避免向其他雄性求爱。然而，一小部分雄性会释放信息素吸引其他雄性，就好像它们是雌性一样。在该领域，5-17男性的交配集群被观察到形成在这些个别有吸引力的男性，我们称之为“女男性”。在竞争性交配试验中，雌雄性交配的女性显着更经常比正常男性，表现出不仅生殖能力，但也可能选择性优势，男性与这种女性一样的信息素。
In many diverse taxa, males of the same species often exhibit multiple mating strategies1. One well-documented alternative male reproductive pattern is ‘female mimicry’, whereby males assume a female-like morphology2–8 or mimic female behaviour patterns9,10. In some species males mimic both female morphology and behaviour2,7,11,12. We report here female mimicry in a reptile, the red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis). This form of mimicry is unique in that it is expressed as a physiological feminization. Courting male red-sided garter snakes detect a female-specific pheromone and normally avoid courting other males. However, a small proportion of males release a pheromone that attracts other males, as though they were females. In the field, mating aggregations of 5–17 males were observed formed around these individual attractive males, which we have termed ‘she-males’. In competitive mating trails, she-males mated with females significantly more often than did normal males, demonstrating not only reproductive competence but also a possible selective advantage to males with this female-like pheromone.