First observations on courtship and nesting behavior of Kinosternon vogti (Testudines: Kinosternidae)

Autores/as

  • Carlos Santiago Rosales-Martínez
  • Carlos Daniel Bello-Sánchez
  • Marco Antonio López-Luna
  • Armando H. Escobedo-Galván
  • Fabio G. Cupul-Magaña

Palabras clave:

Clutch Size, Laying Eggs Period, Mating, Mature Size, Vallarta Mud Turtle

Resumen

Kinosternon vogti is one of the most narrowly distributed kinosternid turtles in Mexico; it is apparently restricted to small streams and ponds in the urban area of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco and Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit. There is little information on the biology of this recently described and endangered species, particularly regarding reproductive biology. We report reproductive behaviors on two mating pairs of K. vogti in captivity. Males exhibited combat for copulating with female. During courtship, male blocks female movements, female bites male´s rostrum scute, male displays titillation posture, and finally moves to position himself above the female. Reproductive season begins with courtship in August-September and ends with egg-laying in November-December. Six and two eggs per clutch (non-viable eggs; average size, n = 5: 28.83 ± 1.19 x 15.95 ± 0.55 mm). Minimal reproductive size of females and males were CL (carapace length) = 88.37 mm and CL = 78.7 mm.

Citas

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Publicado

31-05-2022

Cómo citar

Rosales-Martínez, C. S. ., Bello-Sánchez, C. D. ., López-Luna, M. A. ., Escobedo-Galván, A. H. ., & Cupul-Magaña, F. G. . (2022). First observations on courtship and nesting behavior of Kinosternon vogti (Testudines: Kinosternidae). Cuadernos De Herpetología, 36(1). Recuperado a partir de https://cuadernosdeherpetologia.com/index.php/CdH/article/view/11