Side-by-side secretion of Late Palaeozoic diverged courtship pheromones in an aquatic salamander.

ABSTRACT: Males of the advanced salamanders (Salamandroidea) attain internal fertilization without a copulatory organ by depositing a spermatophore on the substrate in the environment, which females subsequently take up with their cloaca. The aquatically reproducing modern Eurasian newts (Salamandridae) have taken this to extremes, because most species do not display close physical contact during courtship, but instead largely rely on females following the male track at spermatophore deposition. Although pheromones have been widely assumed to represent an important aspect of male courtship, molecules able to induce the female following behaviour that is the prelude for successful insemination have not yet been identified. Here, we show that uncleaved sodefrin precursor-like factor (SPF) protein pher

SUBMITTER: Van Bocxlaer I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4345460 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature