Sexual dichromatism in convict cichlids: the ethological significance of female ventral coloration

Beeching, Simon C.; Gross, Steven H; Bretz, Halle S; Hariatis, Evangelos

doi:10.1006/anbe.1998.0868

Cited by 59 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In the convict cichlid, sexual dichromatism was shown to affect intrasexual aggression among females (Beeching et al, 1998). Those fish lower in the social hierarchy that not obtained reproductive territories searched for refuge under the leaves of plants and aggressively defended this position from subordinate individuals in the social hierarchy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and reproductive physiology and behavior of the Neotropical cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus under laboratory conditions

Alonso

Canepa

Moreira³

et al. 2011

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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In this work we describe for the first time the social and reproductive behavior of the Neotropical fish Cichlasoma dimerus (Heckel, 1840) [Perciformes: Cichlidae], endemic to the Paraná River basin, using a comprehensive-integral approach, including morphological and physiological features. This substrate breeding fish has biparental care of the fry and presents a dominance hierarchy that determines access to breeding territories among males, and to males with territories among females. Gregarious behavior associated with a pale body color, was observed before reproductive behaviors started. Afterwards, a dominance hierarchy was established through aggressive interactions. Territorial individuals had bright body color patterns and non territorial an opaque grey one. Black ventral coloration was associated with reproductive individuals. Courtship displays, which were similar to threatening displays, had the common effect of increasing the visible area of the individual. The dominant male was always the largest one suggesting that size is probably a major factor determining the hierarchy establishment and that these intra-sexually selected traits may have been reinforced by inter-sexual selection. Reproductive males had higher pituitary levels of -follicle stimulating hormone (-FSH) and somatolactin (SL) than non reproductive ones, while no differences were found among females. No differences were found among male gonadosomatic indexes. Non reproductive individuals had higher plasma cortisol levels for both sexes. It is possible that dominant reproductive individuals may be inhibiting reproduction of subordinate fish through physical contact, increasing their cortisol levels and diminishing FSH and SL pituitary content. However, this was not reflected as an inhibition at the gonadal level in our experimental design.En este trabajo se describen por primera vez el comportamiento social y reproductivo del pez cíclido neotropical Cichlasoma dimerus (Heckel, 1840) [Perciformes: Cichlidae], endémico de la cuenca del Paraná, desde un enfoque integral y abarcador, incluyendo características morfológicas y fisiológicas. Éste pez incubador de substrato, tiene cuidado biparental de las crías y presenta una jerarquía de dominancia que determina el acceso a territorios reproductivos entre los machos, y a machos con territorios entre las hembras. Se observó un comportamiento gregario con una coloración corporal pálida característica, antes que comenzaran los comportamientos reproductivos. Luego, una jerarquía de dominancia se estableció a través de interacciones agresivas. Los individuos territoriales presentaron patrones de coloración corporal brillantes y los individuos no territoriales uno gris opaco. Una coloración ventral oscura fue observada asociada a individuos reproductivos. Los despliegues de cortejo fueron similares a los de amenaza y tuvieron la característica común de aumentar el área visible de los peces. El macho dominante fue siempre el más grande, sugiriendo que probablemente la fuerza (tamaño) es un facto...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and reproductive physiology and behavior of the Neotropical cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus under laboratory conditions

Alonso

Canepa

Moreira³

et al. 2011

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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“…In such species, no previous study has demonstrated that males prefer more ornamented females when given a choice between females that are ready to spawn. The only extant study conducted in such a system-on convict cichlids (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum)-revealed no male preference for females with more bright ventral coloration (28). We report here experiments on twospotted gobies (Gobiusculus flavescens), a species in which males are clearly competitive.…”

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confidence: 90%

Male mate choice selects for female coloration in a fish

Amundsen

Forsgren²

2001

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

352

296

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Although sexual selection theory has proved successful in explaining a wide array of male ornaments, the function of ornaments occurring in females is largely unknown. Traditionally, female ornaments have been considered nonfunctional, being merely a genetically correlated response to selection for male ornamentation. However, this hypothesis is only relevant to species in which the ornament is basically the same in the two sexes. Alternatively, female ornaments may be influenced by selection acting directly on the females, either through female-female competition or male choice. We tested the latter hypothesis in mate-choice experiments with two-spotted gobies (Gobiusculus flavescens). In this small marine fish, females have bright yellow-orange bellies during the breeding season, a conspicuous trait that is not present in males. We conducted two aquarium experiments to test whether males preferred to mate with more colorful females. In the first experiment, males had a choice between two females that varied in natural coloration (and belly roundness). In the second experiment, we manipulated belly coloration and kept roundness constant. Males spent more time with colorful than with drab females in both experiments and also performed far more courtship displays toward colorful females. Our study provides experimental evidence that males prefer ornamented females in a fish that is not sex-role reversed, supporting the hypothesis that female ornamentation is sexually selected.

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“…Baerends & Baerends-van Roon (1950) describe color patterns in several species of cichlids, but scarcely relating these changes to specific behaviors. Other studies examine relationships between color and behavior, but strongly directing the observation to specific behaviors, like social status (Barlow, 1973;Falter, 1987;Barlow & Siri, 1994;Korzan et al, 2008), sexual selection (Beeching et al, 1998;Römer & Beisenherz, 2005), or intra- (Baerends, 1993;Hurd, 1997) and interspecific communication (Ready et al, 2006). In addition to the cichlids, some studies address changes in coloration related to sexual selection of females in three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus (Rick & Bakker, 2008); for camouflage in the chamaeleon characin, Ammocryptocharax elegans (Zuanon et al, 2006); and in the larvae and juveniles of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus (Kynard & Parker, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2009

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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.

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Sexual dichromatism in convict cichlids: the ethological significance of female ventral coloration

Cited by 59 publications

References 21 publications

Social and reproductive physiology and behavior of the Neotropical cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus under laboratory conditions

Social and reproductive physiology and behavior of the Neotropical cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus under laboratory conditions

Male mate choice selects for female coloration in a fish

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

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