Abstract
Lungless salamanders of the family Plethodontidae possess an elaborate system of glands that potentially can be used in chemical communication. I used an olfactometer to examine the behavior of adult male and female western red-backed salamanders, Plethodon vehiculum, towards airborne odors of conspecific individuals. In two-choice tests, P. vehiculum of both sexes chose the side with no odor over that with the odor of a male; however, they entered the sides at random when presented with no salamander odor on one side and the odor of a nonreproductive female on the other. Therefore, P. vehiculum was able to recognize and avoided odors of conspecific males. Odors of nonreproductive females either were not recognized or carried no social significance. Males may use pheromonal markers to space themselves out for mating purposes. Contrary to predictions, males did not prefer the odor of a reproductive female over that of a nonreproductive female when simultaneously presented with the two odors, but entered the sides in a random manner.
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