SIZE MATTERS: MATING TACTICS IN WILD SLENDER LORIS (LORIS TARDIGRADUS) |
| K. Kar Gupta and L. T. Nash Arizona State University, Dept. of Anthropology, Arizona State Univ., Box 872402, Tempe, AZ, 85287-2402, USA |
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| Male reproductive success is limited by access to females. Primate males compete for exclusive access to mates, resulting in diverse mating tactics such as sperm competition, mate guarding, and territoriality. Here, we ask what morphological and behavioural factors influence access to females in the slender loris Loris tardigradus), a nocturnal prosimian from southern India and Sri Lanka. Based on a field study conducted in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (southern India), incorporating the first radio-tracking of this species, we demonstrate that body size and condition are closely associated with whether males will be "roaming" (large ranges, many sleeping sites; N=6) or "settled" in territories (smaller ranges, fewer sleeping sites; N=14); roaming males were smaller and in poorer body condition than settled males (weight, ANOVA F2,17 = 4.43 ; condition, F2,17 = 6.37, p < 0.05). Within settled males some were paired with one female (shared ranges, shared sleeping sites; N=10) and some had no associated female (N=4). Within settled males, paired males had larger testes volume than unpaired males (F1,12 = 7.98, p < 0.05), suggesting a role for both sperm competition and mate guarding in this system. Our study suggests that this species has a complex mating system that combines elements of male-female pairs (social monogamy) and elements of polygyny with sperm competition, possibly suggesting a conditional mating strategy with alternative mating tactics. It is unusual, among primates, to find a combination of pair living and high sperm competition. |
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