Abstract
Adult male Phodopus roborovskii and Phodopus sungorus were maintained outdoors throughout the year. Investigation of odors of urine, feces, and mid-ventral gland secretion of both sexes was examined. It was found that the males of the two species showed different reactions to the same stimuli. Also, the responses to the same stimuli differed according to season in both species. It was shown that urine is the main odor stimulus in sex recognition; the males of both species spent more time (p<0.05) sniffing opposite-sex odor in all seasons. P. sungorus males sniffed own-sex odor of mid-ventral gland secretion longer (p<0.05) in all seasons. P roborovskii males showed a preference (p<0.05) for own-sex mid-ventral gland odor only in summer (during the peak of breeding); males of this species did not prefer male or female feces odor in any season. In summer P. sungorus sniffed the feces of females longer (p<0.05) than that of males. Thus, feces odor may be an additional source for sex recognition in P. sungorus.
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