ISSN:
1573-5133
Keywords:
Parental care
;
Female choice
;
Reproductive behavior
;
Non-random mating
;
Tripterygiidae
;
Blennioid fish
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Synopsis This study investigates the role of male mating status in female choice patterns in the carmine triplefin, Axoclinus carminalis, a tripterygiid fish that exhibits paternal care. The distribution of daily reproductive activity is clumped, with many males receiving no mates and some receiving three or more. Females in this species do not prefer larger males, and characteristics of the oviposition site appear to have minimal effects on male mating success. When a female is removed from a male early in the daily spawning period, that male attracts fewer additional females for the remainder of the spawning period than does a control male. These changes in mating success are temporary, and do not affect mating success on subsequent days. A preference for mating males or males that are guarding eggs could provide asymmetric benefits for males to defend oviposition sites. This preference for males with eggs could be acting alone or with other factors such as high variance in oviposition site quality to favor the evolution of paternal care in fishes.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00004817
