Male Mating Success in Lemur catta

Abstract

Dominance rank of males, number of males present during mating and harassment and interruption of mating were each examined to see how they impact male mating success. This study was conducted on four groups of ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar, with data collected over three mating seasons. I observed six complete estrous periods and four incomplete estrous periods, which represents the largest sample size reported on wild L. catta mating behaviour where entire estrous periods were observed. Predictions of the priority-of-access model, the impact of the operational sex ratio (OSR) on mating success, and the relationships between harassment and interruption of mating and mating success were tested. I found that male rank was positively correlated with the number of ejaculations and male mate order. I found no relationship between male dominance rank and number of copulatory partners. My findings do not support the priority-of-access model (that high ranking males will monopolize mating when estrus is asynchronous). My findings show that variation in the OSR during a femaleâ s estrous period impacts male mating success, as presence of a greater number of males inhibits ejaculation. This finding raises questions about the value of group membership for non-alpha males. I found the first evidence for primates that aggression directed towards the mating male directly increases the harassing maleâ s reproductive potential. Occurrence of interruptions decreased the quality of copulations by causing copulatory mounts to be fewer and rates of affiliative behaviour between the mating male and female to be lower. My findings should have implications for reproductive success in L. catta, as occurrence of ejaculations with estrous females were used as a measure of mating success. Understanding the relationship between male mating success and mating season dynamics is of key importance in this species.