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Pheromone detection of conspecifics by the Five-Lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus.

Article Excerpt
ABSTRACT -- Reptiles and more specifically lizards have been shown to recognize individuals by assessing chemical cues or pheromones. We tested whether male Eumeces fasciatus could detect a conspecific from pheromone samples. Each male was presented in random order with a cloacal swab from itself (positive control) and a conspecific male, as well as a swab with distilled water (negative control). The number of tongue flicks was recorded for 60 seconds. Male E. fasciatus did not tongue flick to water. They did tongue flick to pheromone samples, but did not tongue flick more to conspecific versus self pheromone.

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Communication among individuals by pheromones or odors is important in social interactions in many reptiles (Mason, 1992). Individuals can recognize conspecifics by assessing chemical cues or pheromones. Among lizards there is large morphological variation in olfactory organs, particularly the Jacobson's organ or the site of sensory epithelial tissue (Parsons, 1970). Lizards recognize pheromones by tongue flicking. The tongue carries sampled pheromones from the air or some other surface to the Jacobson's organ. The tongue and Jacobson's organ function as a chemosensory system in the autarchoglossa, a morphologically similar group of lizard families including Anguidae, Lacertidae, Scincidae, Teiidae, and Varanidae (Camp, 1923). Although the mechanistic basis of chemosensation is not well known, it is known that lizards tongue flick more to novel than familiar stimuli.

Among lizard pheromonal studies, one of the most widely studied species is the skink, Eumeces laticeps. In E. laticeps,...