User:Emw3181/Amplexus
Draft for Amplexus edit
Introduction: Amplexus (Latin "embrace") is a type of mating behavior exhibited by some externally fertilizing species (chiefly amphibians and horseshoe crabs) in which a male grasps a female with his front legs as part of the mating process, and at the same time or with some time delay, he fertilizes the eggs as they are released from the female's body.[1] In amphibians, females may be grasped by the head, waist, or armpits, and the type of amplexus is characteristic of some taxonomic groups. Amplexus involves direct contact between male and female, distinguished from other forms of external fertilization such as broadcast spawning, where sperm and eggs are freely shed into water without direct contact by individuals. Additionally, amplexus is thought to help with the alignment of the reproductive tracts of both males and females which furthermore contributes to the achievement of successful fertilization.[1] The duration of amplexus has been found to vary across different species as in some species it has been found to last for many days but in other species, it has been found to last a few hours. [2] Despite the variation in the duration of amplexus across different species, typically all the species that exhibit this behavior have to use their forelimb muscles for the whole time of amplexus. [3] These forelimb muscles that are used during amplexus are typically larger in males than females. [4]
- ^ a b Mollov, Ivelin; Popgeorgiev, Georgi; Naumov, Borislav; Tzankov, Nikolay; Stoyanov, Andrei (2010). "Cases of abnormal amplexus in anurans (Amphibia: Anura) from Bulgaria and Greece" (PDF). Biharean Biologist.
- ^ McLister, James (2003). "The metabolic cost of amplexus in the grey tree frog (Hyla versicolor): assessing the energetics of male mating success". NRC Canada. doi:10.1139/Z03-013.
- ^ McLister, James (2003). "The metabolic cost of amplexus in the grey tree frog (Hyla versicolor): assessing the energetics of male mating success". NRC Canada. doi:10.1139/Z03-013.
- ^ McLister, James (2003). "The metabolic cost of amplexus in the grey tree frog (Hyla versicolor): assessing the energetics of male mating success". NRC Canada. doi:10.1139/Z03-013.