• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.865-872
• /
• 2015

Body size is one of the important factors that determine mating success in various animal taxa. Nevertheless, only few related studies have been conducted on Korean salamanders. In this study, we have investigated whether large male Gori salamander (Hynobius yangi), which is a Korean endemic species and is unknown for its mating behaviors, is dominant in the mating competition than small males. Thirteen sets of mating trials composed of one large male, one small male, and one female per each group were analyzed in the categories of courtship display towards females, male competition and egg fertilizing behavior. The results show that the mating behaviors between large and small males towards females or with each other did not significantly differ. These results may have been caused by a small size variation among males and the presence of plenty of oviposition locations in breeding sites. This is the first report on Gori salamander's mating behaviors.