Meeting Abstract

P1.6  Friday, Jan. 4  Female Ornaments and Male Mate Choice in Convict Cichlids MARSON, K.M.*; ANDERSON, C.; KLEIN, A.; COOK, M.; EARLEY, R.L.; University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa krismars02@yahoo.com

Females of the monogamous, pair bonding convict cichlid (Amatitliania siquia) possess carotenoid-based coloration on their ventral integument, which has been hypothesized to serve functions in intrasexual and intersexual signaling. We hypothesized that variation in female orange patch size might reflect variation in female quality and that males would prefer to pair bond with more highly ornamented females. We established triads of two size-matched females with one male that was at least twenty percent larger than the females. Females were either matched or mismatched for orange patch size. The male and females interacted freely under one of two light conditions – full spectrum lighting with either a clear filter (full transmittance) or a green filter (prevented transmission of orange wavelengths). Behavior was quantified for 15-minute increments at 0815 and 1515 daily for 10 days. Courtship and aggressive behaviors, as well as the identities of the interacting fish, were recorded. Pair bonds were said to have occurred if the male and one female spent the majority of their time together with very little aggression for three consecutive days. Once a pair bond occurred, the non-pair bonded female was removed and after 10 days the reproductive success of the pair was determined by counting the number of eggs or fry. We predicted that males would choose the female with the largest orange patch and that latency to pair bond formation would be shortest in full-spectrum light with mismatched orange patch size. We also predicted offspring number would be highest in pair bonds involving females with large orange patches. If female traits relate to male mate choice in this reversed sexually dimorphic species, we stand to gain a deeper understanding about the dynamics pair bond formation.