THE COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR OF THE BOSCAS NEWT, TRITURUS-BOSCAI (AMPHIBI, SALAMANDRIDAE)

The courtship behaviour of the Bosca's newt (Triturus boscai) is descr ibed. In the first phase the male displays in front of the female. Two different movements are performed during display: the Fan and the Fli ck. Flicks are produced at the end of the display. In the second phase the male deposits spermatophore(s), often without any positive feedba ck from the female. A conditional male behaviour produced when the fem ale is not receptive, is Flamenco, in which the tail-tip of the male f unctions as a bait mimic. The adaptive significance of the characteris tics of T. boscai's sexual behaviour and the evolution of sexual signa ls through 'sensual exploitation' in the genus Triturus are discussed.