title: Turgid female toads give males the slip: a new mechanism of female mate choice in the Anura.
abstract: In many anuran species, males vocalize to attract females but will grasp any female that comes within reach and retain their hold unless displaced by a rival male. Thus, female anurans may face strong selection to repel unwanted suitors, but no mechanism is known for doing so. We suggest that a defensive trait (the ability to inflate the body to ward off attack) has been co-opted for this role: by inflating their bodies, females are more difficult for males to grasp and hence, it is easier for another male to displace an already amplexed rival. Inflating a model female cane toad (Bufo marinus) strongly reduced a male's ability to maintain amplexus; and females who were experimentally prevented from inflating their bodies experienced no successful takeovers from rival males, in contrast to control females. Thus, the ability of a female cane toad to inflate her body may allow her to manipulate the outcome of male-male competition. This overlooked mechanism of anuran mate choice may reflect a common evolutionary pattern, whereby females co-opt defensive traits for use in sexual selection.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Bas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bruning
authors.forename: Benjamin L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology; D002024:Bufo marinus / Q000502:physiology; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology