Annual variations in sexual hormones and births' frequency in female stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides)

Although the breeding seasonality in Macaca arctoides have been studied over a long period of time, it is still controversial whether reproduction in this primate tend to increase during certain months of the year as it happens in most of the macaque species. Many authors have classified Macaca arct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theriogenology 2018-03, Vol.108, p.201-206
Main Authors: Mondragón-Ceballos, R., García-Granados, M.D., Matamoros-Trejo, G., Hernández-López, L.E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Annual births
Fecal estradiol
Fecal progesterone
Female
Gonadal Steroid Hormones - metabolism
Macaca - metabolism
Macaca - physiology
Macaca arctoides
Regression Analysis
Seasonality
Seasons
Sexual Behavior, Animal
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Summary:Although the breeding seasonality in Macaca arctoides have been studied over a long period of time, it is still controversial whether reproduction in this primate tend to increase during certain months of the year as it happens in most of the macaque species. Many authors have classified Macaca arctoides as not being seasonal species. Nonetheless, there were no reports, about seasonal variations of female sexual hormones to demonstrate that asseveration. Therefore, in the present study we collect 1611 fecal samples from June 2009 to November 2010 from 10 female stump-tailed macaques to measure 17β-estradiol and progesterone concentrations. Also, we included the birth frequency per year, in order to identify if sexual hormones peaked at a certain period of the year, thus, births would be occurring six months later according to the gestation length of stump-tailed macaques. Our results indicate two mating seasons per year in stump-tailed macaques: one in July–August and a second one in November. The distribution of the birth frequency, throughout the year support these results. We conclude that stump-tail macaques have a discrete seasonality no different than most of macaques' species. •Annual variations in sexual hormones and births frequency in female stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides).•Female sexual hormones fluctuations define reproductive seasonality in Macaca arctoides.•There is a reproductive synchrony between males and females in November (Fall), when both sexes are in optimal physiological conditions for reproduction.•Even although, birth occurred along the year in Macaca arctoides, there is a peak of births in May, meaning that successful fertilizations occurred in November.•Macaca arctoides is a discrete seasonal specie.
ISSN:0093-691X
1879-3231
DOI:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2017.11.013