Color changing and behavioral context in the Amazonian Dwarf Cichlid Apistogramma hippolytae (Perciformes)

Abstract

Animal coloration has many functions, and fishes are noted among vertebrates for presenting a wide variety of color patterns. Although in marine fishes the relationship between body coloration and behavioral context is well documented, there's not much information about freshwater fishes. Here we describe color patterns displayed by the dwarf cichlid Apistogramma hippolytae and suggest that these patterns are dependent on different social and behavioral settings. Field observations were conducted underwater in a pond in Central Amazonia, Brazil. We recorded six body coloration patterns related to seven different kinds of behavioral activities: foraging, resting, reproductive and agonistic displays, aggression (attacking and fleeing) and parental care. Changes in coloration occur rapidly and take only a few seconds. Females on parental care exhibited a unique pattern that are more persistent and probably manifests more slowly. In the shallow and clear waters of the natural environment of this dwarf cichlid, color communication seems to constitute an efficient way to display information about individual mood, social status and reproductive readiness, contributing to minimize loss of energy in unnecessary interactions.Coloração animal tem diferentes funções, e os peixes se destacam entre os vertebrados por apresentarem uma grande diversidade de padrões de cores. Embora se conheça relativamente bem a relação entre coloração e contexto comportamental para peixes marinhos, pouco se sabe para os peixes de água doce. Nós descrevemos os padrões de coloração de um ciclídeo amazônico, Apistogramma hippolytae, e sugerimos como esses padrões são dependentes das características sociais e comportamentais. Realizamos observações subaquáticas utilizando mergulho livre em campo durante o dia em uma lagoa na Amazônia Central. Nós caracterizamos seis padrões de coloração associados a sete comportamentos diferentes: alimentação, repouso, displays sexual e agonístico, agressão (ataque e fuga) e cuidado parental. As mudanças de coloração levam apenas alguns segundos. Fêmeas em cuidado parental exibem um padrão exclusivo, cuja mudança é mais lenta. No ambiente natural desse ciclídeo, locais rasos com águas claras, a comunicação por coloração pode ser um sistema eficiente de comunicar o estado motivacional individual, status social e disposição para reprodução, possivelmente contribuindo para minimizar a perda de energia com interações desnecessárias.

Reproductive behavior of the Amazonian dwarf cichlid Apistogramma hippolytae Kullander, 1982: offsetting costs and benefits

“…Despite the large amount of forest debris that had accumulated at the pond bottom, the water was clear and allowed for ideal underwater visualization conditions. For images of the study pond, see Rodrigues et al (2009).…”

“…In contrast to the majority of the species of this genus, A. hippolytae does not show a marked sexual dimorphism; however, it does have an elaborate parental care behavior, which is typical of this family (Römer 2001). During field studies developed in a pond near Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon, we had the opportunity to investigate the behavioral aspects of the life history of an A. hippolytae population, including the color changes related to social and environmental settings (Rodrigues et al 2009), foraging activity and the reproductive behavior of breeding and nonbreeding individuals. Several females in the pond were engaged in brood care, alternating between foraging and nest defense, which allowed us to detect a possible trade-off involving feeding and breeding activities by the dwarf cichlid in its natural environment.…”

Color pattern variation in Cichla temensis (Perciformes: Cichlidae): resolution based on morphological, molecular, and reproductive data

“…Since the positive correlation between CPV and GSI found in this study indicates that the açu variants are physiologically more prepared to spawn than the paca variants, their bright coloration may provide a signal of spawning readiness to potential mates prior to pairing and nest building, as has been shown in other fishes and suggested for Cichlidae (Barlow, 2000). Following egg deposition and during fry guarding, it is possible that the brightly colored and highly visible açu color pattern of the parents acts as an aposematic signal to warn off egg or fry predators (Schroder & Zaret, 1979;Rodrigues et al, 2009). Although C. temensis are neither ovophilic nor larvophilic mouthbrooders, both fishing guides and local residents have reported observing fryguarding parents gather their school of surface-feeding offspring and depart an area at signs of danger.…”

Reproductive behavior and parental roles of the cichlid fish Laetacara araguaiae

“…The variation is probably underestimated because the breadth of the behavioral diversity exhibited for Neotropical cichlids is neglected. This is evident among South American cichlids, whose registers of behavior are scarce (but see Yamamoto et al, 1999;Cacho et al, 2006;Rodrigues et al, 2009) in comparison with African cichlids (e.g., Barlow, 2000).…”