Reproductive response of Tatera leucogaster (Rodentia) to supplemental food and 6‐methoxybenzoxazolinone in Zimbabwe

The effects of 6‐methoxybenzoxazolinone (6‐MBOA) and supplemental food on the reproductive activity of Tatera leucogaster were examined using a field experiment. The experiment was carried out during the dry season when no pregnancies were observed. Animals provided with 6‐MBOA‐treated millet seeds for 10 days were not significantly different from animals provided with sham‐treated seeds. Supplemental food appeared to have no effect on female reproductive activity, but increased the body mass of both sexes and also the mass of the testes and seminal vesicles. These results provide no evidence for an effect of 6‐MBOA on reproductive activity of this equatorial rodent, but supplemental food may promote the maturation and recrudescence of reproductive organs in males.