The Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) is a carnivore in expansion on the western limits of Europe, where its reproductive ecology is unknown. In this study, we weighed and measured the gonads of 507 wild‐caught mongooses ranging its geographical distribution and all seasons of the year. Based on the variation in gonad weight, we determined periods of reproductive activity for females (December–June) and males (throughout the year), with both sexes showing a peak in gonad weight during February. We also identified periods of lactation (March‐August, n = 10), gestation (December–July, n = 20) and mean litter size (1–4 offspring, 2.75 ± 0.79, n = 20). Next, we constructed two separate models to explain the variation in ovarian and testicular weight, using age cohort, season and region, spleen weight, body condition and the environmental variables habitat, river network and Egyptian mongoose density as predictors. Ovarian weight was influenced by season and spleen weight. Females with heavier ovaries were found in spring and simultaneously exhibited heavier spleens. Testicular weight was influenced by season, spleen weight and age, as well as several environmental variables. Males with lower spleen weight exhibited heavier testes, indicating a male‐specific negative association between reproductive and immune activity. Overall, the results of this study refine our knowledge on Egyptian mongoose reproductive ecology. They indicate that reproduction timing is determined by females, whose breeding is seasonal but who are unaffected by the set of environmental variables we tested, as opposed to males, who are influenced by these environmental conditions and seem to be reproductively active year round. These results also support a negative reproduction‐immunity trade‐off in males, that is independent of body condition and absent in females.

中文翻译：

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埃及猫鼬疱疹鱼的繁殖与免疫之间的关联受到性别歧视，不受身体状况的影响

埃及猫鼬（Herpestes ichneumon）是在欧洲西部繁殖的食肉动物，那里的生殖生态未知。在这项研究中，我们对507只野生猫鼬的性腺进行了称重和测量，涵盖了其地理分布和一年中的所有季节。根据性腺重量的变化，我们确定了雌性（12月至6月）和雄性（全年）的生殖活动时间，两性在2月期间都显示出性腺重量的峰值。我们还确定了哺乳期（3月至8月，n  = 10），妊娠期（12月至7月，n  = 20）和平均产仔数（1-4个后代，2.75±0.79，n） = 20）。接下来，我们使用年龄队列，季节和地区，脾脏重量，身体状况以及环境变量栖息地，河网和埃及猫鼬密度，构建了两个单独的模型来解释卵巢和睾丸重量的变化。卵巢重量受季节和脾脏重量的影响。春季发现卵巢较重的雌性，同时脾脏较重。睾丸重量受季节，脾脏重量和年龄以及几个环境变量的影响。脾脏重量较低的男性表现出较重的睾丸，这表明生殖和免疫活性之间存在男性特异性的负相关性。总的来说，这项研究的结果完善了我们对埃及猫鼬生殖生态学的认识。它们表明繁殖时机是由雌性决定的，他们的繁殖是季节性的，但不受我们测试的环境变量影响，与雄性相反，雄性受这些环境条件的影响且全年繁殖活跃。这些结果还支持了男性生殖-免疫平衡的负面影响，这与身体状况无关，而女性则没有。