Do opercular flaps of male longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) serve as sexual ornaments during female mate choice?

Goddard, Kaye; Mathis, Alicia

doi:10.1080/08927014.1997.9522882

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The exaggerated opercular flaps of male longear sunfish function as sexual ornaments during female choice ( Goddard & Mathis 1997). In the current study, growth rates of opercular flaps were significantly higher than growth rates of a non‐sexually selected character (pelvic fin spines) regardless of the food‐ration treatment, suggesting a differential investment of energy in the sexually selected character.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, length of opercular flaps was correlated with resource holding power during male‐male competition. Therefore, opercular flaps may function as sexual ornaments used both by females to assess potential mates ( Goddard & Mathis 1997) and by males to assess the strength of rivals without risking injury from combat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Males with this treatment simulated the ‘normal’ condition. For the short‐flapped treatment, we clipped the males' flaps to produce a minimum of 3 mm difference in flap lengths between paired males while retaining sufficient length to remain within the natural range of flap lengths for longear sunfish (minimum observed was 4 mm, see Goddard & Mathis 1997); this resulted in removal of an average of 32% of opercular flap length in the short‐flapped treatment. Clipping opercular flaps did not produce blood or cause noticeable behavioral changes.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These sexually dimorphic structures are posteriorly directed, soft, scaleless extensions of the opercula. Female longear sunfish prefer males with longer flaps as mates ( Goddard & Mathis 1997). Males sometimes flare their opercula to females and to other males ( Miller 1963; Huck & Gunning 1967; Keenleyside 1967), suggesting that the flaps may be used to convey information.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For longear sunfish, length of opercular flaps is linearly correlated with body length, but there also is substantial variation between individuals of the same body size ( Goddard & Mathis 1997). Such variation could be due to either genetic or environmental factors or both ( Barlow 1980).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Opercular Flaps as Sexual Ornaments for Male Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis): Male Condition and Male‐Male Competition

Goddard

Mathis

2000

Ethology

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Male longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, have longer opercular flaps than females, and females are known to prefer males with longer flaps, suggesting that these exaggerated structures serve as sexual ornaments. We tested the hypothesis that opercular flap length is associated with body condition and is therefore potentially an honest indicator of male quality. Opercular flaps grew significantly faster than pelvic fin spines, a non‐sexually selected trait, regardless of diet treatment, suggesting an advantage to having fast‐growing opercular flaps. Growth indices (opercular flap growth divided by pelvic fin spine growth) of males fed a larger ration were greater than those of males fed a smaller ration, although the difference was marginally non‐significant. We also tested for an effect of opercular flap length on resource holding power by manipulating flap length on pairs of males matched for body length. In an experiment where opercular flaps were clipped to different lengths, only longer original (unmanipulated) flap length was associated with a significantly greater frequency of dominance. In a corollary experiment where opercular flaps were artificially lengthened, the abnormally long‐flapped males were dominant significantly more often than the ‘normal’ males given transparent extensions. These results indicate that the opercular flap length of male longear sunfish may serve as an honest indicator of male quality and may be used to assess the resource holding power of rival males.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Opercular Flaps as Sexual Ornaments for Male Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis): Male Condition and Male‐Male Competition

Goddard

Mathis

2000

Ethology

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Hybridization and its Application in Centrarchids

Shen

Wang

2018

Sex Control in Aquaculture

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Centrarchid Identification and Natural History

Warren

2009

Centrarchid Fishes

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The family Ccntrarchidae (Order: Perciformes) is one of the most diverse, widespread, and conspicuous fish families native to freshwater habitats of North America. Aniong endemic fish families of North America, only the North American catfish family (lctaluridae) has more species. The family name, Centrarchidae. refers to the anal fin spines of species in the family, and the common name. sunfishes, to the bright breeding colors displayed by males of some species in the family. Because of their diversity, wide distribution, and economic value, some of the earliest taxonomic descriptions and natural history observations on North American freshwater fishes focused on the centrarchids (e.g., Linnaeus 1758; Lacépède 1801; Rafinesque 1820; Abbott 1870).The family contains 34 extant species classified in eight genera, but morphological and genetic evidence suggests that additional, but currently unrecognized, diversity exists within most of the genera. The most diverse genus. Lepomis. the bream (or panfish) of anglers, is comprised of 13 extant species, but at least 8 of these show evidence of polytypy (e.g.. Bermingham and Avise 1986; Fox 1997;Harris 2005). The genus Micropterus, referred to collectively as black basses (Philipp and Ridgway 2002), contains eight extant species. but again, at least three species are polytypic (e.g., Stark and Echelle 1998;Kassler 2002;Miller 2005). The genera Anthloplites (rock basses). Enoeacaothus (banded sunfishes). and Poo,o.vis (crappies) contain four, three, and two extant species, respectively, and at least one species each of Ambloplites and Enneacaothus is polytypic (Koppelman 2000; T. Darden, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, personal communication). The genera Acantha echos, Archoplites. and Centrorchos are monotypic. but populations of both Acantliarchus poniotis and Archoplites lolerruptus show geographical patterns of morphological divergence (Cashner ci (il. 1989;Moyle 2002).The natural range of extant centrarchids is confined primarily to warm, freshwater habitats in North America east of the western continental divide except for the Sacramento perch (A. interrupius). whose native range is west of the divide in the Central Valley of California (San Joaquin-Sacramento. Pajaro. Salinas river drainages. Moyle 2002). The northern natural continental limit of the family is occupied by members of Leponiis. Ainhiopliles, Poinoxis, and Microptertis in the St. Lawrence River. northern Great Lakes. and southwestern Hudson Bay drainages in eastern Canada (Scott and Ciossman 1973). The Rio Conchos (Rio Grande drainage) (Lepomis) and Rio Soto la Marina (Micmpterus. Miller and Smith 1986;Miller 2005) of northern Mexico delimit the southern continental limits of the native range of extant centrarchids. The Mississippi River Basin and, to a lesser extent, the Gulf and Atlantic Slope drainages harbor the most diverse assemblages of native centrarchids (Warren ci (il. 2000). The native ranges of Po,noxis and Lepomis largely coincide with that of Micropierus, but both exte...

show abstract

Do opercular flaps of male longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) serve as sexual ornaments during female mate choice?

Cited by 9 publications

References 15 publications

Opercular Flaps as Sexual Ornaments for Male Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis): Male Condition and Male‐Male Competition

Opercular Flaps as Sexual Ornaments for Male Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis): Male Condition and Male‐Male Competition

Hybridization and its Application in Centrarchids

Centrarchid Identification and Natural History

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