J. Rafinski et A. Pecio, THE COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR OF THE BOSCAS NEWT, TRITURUS-BOSCAI (AMPHIBI, SALAMANDRIDAE), Folia Biologica, 40(3-4), 1992, pp. 155-165
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.