Meeting Abstract

P3.65  Saturday, Jan. 5  Comparative Analysis of the Ontogeny of Color Pattern in two Neotropical cichlid fishes, Thorichthys meeki and Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum BEECHING, S.C.*; PIKE, R.E.; Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania simon.beeching@sru.edu

Rapid speciation, complex behavior, and striking color patterns have placed cichlid fishes (Perciformes; Cichlidae) among the most important taxa in the study of vertebrate evolutionary ecology. Color patterns produced by dermal cells (chromatophores) appear to play an important role in the complex social interactions which characterize mate choice and sexual selection in many cichlids. Early ethologists investigated the behavioral and evolutionary significance of cichlid color pattern elements, as well as the developmental and physiological processes that produce them. However, with few exceptions, the developmental processes that produce and regulate most cichlid color patterns have not been investigated. We characterized the pattern of chromatophore-based color development in the Neotropical Firemouth cichlid, Thorichthys meeki. This pattern was then compared to the ontogeny of melanistic color pattern elements of Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum, the convict cichlid, which we described previously. Both T. meeki and C. nigrofasciatum are Neotropical cichlids, and we predicted that they would have similar color pattern ontogeny. Analysis revealed that early melanophore distribuation, the midlateral stripe, the vertical barring elements and the caudal spot are shared color pattern characteristics of young T. meeki and C. nigrofasciatum.