Work

Female-female Amplexus and Extremely Female-skewed Operational Sex Ratio in the Toad Duttaphrynus cyphosus During Breeding Seasons

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We report four cases of female–female amplexus in Duttaphrynus cyphosus observed over a five-year period (2019–2025) in Xiaayu Town, Chayu County, Tibet, China. The phenomenon occurred under conditions of an extremely female-biased operational sex ratio (OSR, 15–20 females per male), largely caused by local harvesting of males for consumption and trade. While female–female amplexus was rare compared to typical male–female pairs, its occurrence under such skewed demographic conditions suggests a potential link between sex ratio imbalance and atypical reproductive behaviors. These findings contribute to the limited literature on same-sex amplexus in amphibians.

Source: Asian Herpetological Research

DOI: 10.3724/ahr.2095-0357.2025.0061

Authors: Hongzhou CHEN, Jinyu XIA, Tuo LI, Buddhi DAYANANDA, Wei CHEN

Institutions: Anhui University, The University of Queensland, Mianyang Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Animal Behavior and Reproduction

Subfield: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Anhui University

Awards: G1064758047, G3819235559, G7653577456