Effect of photoperiod on characteristics of semen obtained by electroejaculation in stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides)

Some environmental variables determining seasonal reproduction in mammals are temperature, humidity, food availability, and photoperiod. Among these, photoperiod is considered the main regulator of primates’ seasonal reproduction, thus the latitudinal distribution of primate populations is a key factor determining the appearance of seasonal reproduction. The present work presents supporting discrete seasonality in male stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides). We investigated whether semen quality and testosterone covaried with Mexico City’s photoperiod and relative humidity by analyzing variations in the portions that form the ejaculate: the seminal liquid, the seminal coagulum, and the copulatory plug. Five male adult stump-tailed macaques were electroejaculated once a month, obtaining three semen samples per male, from August 2011 to July 2012 (except for December 2011) (n = 165). Our results showed that stump-tailed macaque sperm counts were significantly different between the portions of the ejaculate. The seminal coagulum contained the significantly largest number of spermatozoids, followed by the copulatory plug and the seminal fluid. Photoperiod and relative humidity had major influence on the sperm count in the seminal coagulum and the testosterone concentrations. Testosterone reached its highest values around the time when days and nights lasted the same hours, decreasing when days either grew longer or became shorter. Concerning relative humidity, sperm counts in the seminal coagulum were highly variable on dry days, but decreased as the relative humidity increased. We conclude that stump-tailed macaques have a discrete seasonality, occurring in spring and fall when macaques’ reproductive condition and readiness for postcopulatory intrasexual competition increase.