Forced copulation attempt in the Blue-tailed Lizard, Micrablepharus maximiliani (Reinhardt & Luetken, 1862) (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil

Biota Neotrop., vol. 10, no. 4 Forced copulation attempt in the Blue-tailed Lizard, Micrablepharus maximiliani (Reinhardt & Luetken, 1862) (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil Melissa Gogliath1,2,4, Leonardo Barros Ribeiro1,3 & Eliza Maria Xavier Freire1,2,3 Laboratório de Herpetologia, Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, CEP 59072-970, Natal, Brazil 2 Programa de Pós-graduação em Psicobiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, CEP 59078-970, Natal, Brazil 3 Programa Regional de Pós-graduação em Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, CEP 59072-970, Natal, Brazil 4 Corresponding author: Melissa Gogliath, e-mail: 1 GOGLIATH, M., RIBEIRO, L.B. & FREIRE, E.M.X. Forced copulation attempt in the Blue-tailed Lizard, Micrablepharus maximiliani (Reinhardt & Luetken, 1862) (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil. Biota Neotrop. 10(4): http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v10n4/en/abstract?shortcommunication+bn02610042010. Abstract: Forced copulation is characterized by jerky and rapid movements performed by a female in an apparent attempt to escape from a mounting male. This short communication reports a forced copulation attempt by the gymnophthalmid lizard Micrablepharus maximiliani in a forest enclave inside the Caatinga biome, Tenente Laurentino Cruz municipality, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The rejection behavior of the female consisted of running, pushing and hiding from the mounting male. Although the causes of female mate rejection remain unclear, it may be possible that on this occasion the female M. maximiliani may not have been reproductively active and/or avoided the male deliberately. Keywords: female rejection behaviors, forced mating, unsolicited copulation, gymnophthalmid lizard, semi-arid. GOGLIATH, M., RIBEIRO, L.B. & FREIRE, E.M.X. Tentativa de cópula forçada no lagartinho-do-rabo-azul, Micrablepharus maximiliani (Reinhardt & Luetken, 1862) (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) na Caatinga do Nordeste do Brasil. Biota Neotrop. 10(4): http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v10n4/pt/abstract?shortcommunication+bn02610042010. Resumo: A cópula forçada é caracterizada por movimentos bruscos e rápidos realizados por uma fêmea em uma aparente tentativa de escapar de um macho no ato da monta. Esta comunicação relata uma tentativa de cópula forçada pelo lagarto gimnoftalmídeo Micrablepharus maximiliani em um enclave de floresta dentro do bioma Caatinga, município de Tenente Laurentino Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. O comportamento de rejeição da fêmea consistiu de correr, empurrar e se esconder do macho durante a monta. Embora as causas da rejeição do parceiro pela fêmea não sejam claras, pode ser possível que nesta ocasião a fêmea de M. maximiliani não estava reprodutivamente ativa e/ou evitou o macho deliberadamente. Palavras-chave: comportamentos de rejeição da fêmea, acasalamento forçado, cópula não solicitada, lagarto gimnoftalmídeo, semiárido. http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v10n4/en/abstract?short-communication+bn02610042010 http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br Biota Neotrop., vol. 10, no. 4 348 Gogliath, M. et al. Introduction A “forced” copulation is one in which a female animal struggles physically and violently (including jerky, unusual, rapid, or high amplitude movements) in an apparent attempt to escape from a mounting male (Stamps 1983). In contrast, an “ordinary” copulation occurs when a female rests passively or moves slowly without any noticeable effort to escape when mounted (Stamps 1983). In current literature, few taxa have reviewed incidences of forced copulation. Examples can be found in colonially nesting monogamous birds (Gladstone 1979), waterfowl (McKinney et al. 1983) and elephant seals (Cox & Le Boeuf 1977). For reptiles, a well-known case of violent copulation occurs between snakes of the species Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758), in which the most persistent male eventually achieves copulation (Garstka et al. 1982). In lizards, there is evidence of attempted forced copulation for the Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Rodda 1992), Conolophus subcristatus (Gray, 1831) (Werner 1982), Microlophus delanonis (Baur, 1890) (Werner 1978), Norops garmani (Stejneger, 1899) (Trivers 1976), Norops valencienni (Duméril & Bibron, 1837) (Hicks & Trivers 1983) and Enyalius perditus Jackson, 1978 (Lima & Sousa 2006). Micrablepharus maximiliani (Reinhardt & Luetken, 1862) is a heliothermic lizard widely distributed from the Brazilian Amazon to Paraguay (Peters & Donoso-Barros 1970, Vanzolini et al. 1980, Vanzolini 1988, Ávila-Pires 1995). It occurs along coastal areas and forest edge. Specimens can also be found in an isolated forest range (known locally as “Brejos de Altitude”) in the semi-arid Caatingas in Brazil (Vanzolini 1974, Rodrigues 1990, Freire 1996, Borges-Nojosa & Caramaschi 2003) where it is commonly observed in leaf litter, herbaceous vegetation and in association with social insects such as termites and ants (Vitt 1991, Mesquita et al. 2006). Herein, we report the first case of forced copulation attempt in the gymnophthalmid lizard M. maximiliani in a Caatinga area of northeastern Brazil. Male interaction (35.1 mm Snout-Vent Length [SVL]) with the female (40.5 mm SVL) commenced without courtship display. The male approached the female and grasped her neck with his jaws. The female then ran along the enclosure with the male clinging to her laterally. On five occasions the female stopped in the leaf litter and the male assumed a mating position on the female’s dorsum with a neckbite hold and front leg hold on the female’s trunk. A hind leg hold on the base of the female’s tail was also applied by the male (Figure 1a). In this position, the male twisted his tail under the female’s bringing the cloaca close to hemipenis insertion. Although it was not possible to see the exposed hemipenis, in all of the intromission attempts the female did not show any submissive behavior (for example, remaining still with the tail raised at the base). Instead, the female violently pushed the base of the male’s tail away with her hind leg and ran along the enclosure, attempting to escape the male’s neck-bite hold. This sequence of behaviors lasted approximately 21 minutes, when the male released his neck-bite hold. The female remained free for only a few seconds until the male grasped her again, this time biting the tip of her tail (Figure 1b). The male then chased the female through the leaf litter rapidly whilst maintaining the tail bite hold. After pursuing the female for approximately 1 minute, the male again managed to apply a neck grip. This time the male did not attempt hemipenis in (...truncated)