Seasonal reproduction in the mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus: IV. Organ weight and hormone changes in the female

Abstract

The mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus, shows a well-defined breeding season in Hawaii. In this study, females were live-trapped throughout the year and sacrificed within 48 hr to obtain information about reproductive organ weights and gonadotropin levels. Pregnant females were found from February through September and lactating females from March through October. Body weight did not change significantly throughout the year, but anterior pituitary, adrenal, ovarian, and uterine weights were significantly reduced during the nonbreeding season. LH and FSH levels were extremely variable among individuals and, although mean values were higher during the breeding than during the nonbreeding season, no significant differences could be demonstrated. After castration, there was not a clearcut rise in either LH or FSH, regardless of the season of the year, when animals were followed for up to 15 days. This contrasts with the male mongoose, where FSH rose significantly by 4 days after castration in either the breeding or nonbreeding season, while LH rose more slowly in the nonbreeding season but by 10 days after castration was significantly elevated and comparable to values in males castrated in the breeding season. We conclude that the female mongoose population shows less synchrony in changes in gonadotropin levels than the males, in spite of the well-defined breeding season.