Sexual harassment in live-bearing fishes (Poeciliidae): comparing courting and noncourting species

Abstract

Sexual harassment by males has been reported from several live-bearing fishes (Poeciliidae) and has been shown to inflict costs on females. For example, poeciliid females have reduced feeding opportunities when accompanied by a male because females dedicate attention to avoiding male copulation attempts. Poeciliid species differ considerably in male mating behavior, such as the presence or absence of courtship. Courting males display in front of the females, but males attempting to sneak-copulate approach females from behind, that is, in the blind portion of their visual field, and force copulations, which can be viewed as a male persistence trait. We predicted that poeciliid females need to be more vigilant in the presence of noncourting males, and costs of harassment by noncourting males might be stronger. In a comparative approach we examined the costs of male sexual harassment for females as reduced feeding time in 9 species of live-bearing fishes, including courting (Poecilia latipinna, Poecilia reticulata, Xiphophorus cortezi, Xiphophorus variatus) and noncourting species (Poecilia mexicana [surface-and cave-dwelling form], Poecilia orri, Gambusia affinis, Gambusia geiseri, Heterandria formosa). In all species examined except for the cave form of P. mexicana, focal females spent significantly less time feeding in the presence of a male than when together with another female. The time females spent feeding was found to significantly decline with increasing male mating activity (sum of all sexual behaviors), but there was no support for the idea that females would spend more time feeding in the presence of courting males compared with noncourting ones.

Male-biased predation of a cave fish by a giant water bug

“…Poeciliid males tend to switch frequently between shoals (Magurran 1998;Griffiths and Magurran 1998) and show more investigative behavior (Andreev 1994), which may come along with a generally higher activity metabolic rate. Even though sexual activity is reduced in the cave population of P. mexicana, probably as an adaptation to save energy (Plath et al 2003(Plath et al , 2007aPlath 2008), males still devote more time and energy to finding mates than females.…”

Learning and Mate Choice

“…Additionally, mate-sampling females may be injured in aggressive courtship displays by males or even suffer from harassment by males (Schlupp et al 2001). Plath et al (2007) performed a comparative approach with nine species of livebearing fish and examined costs of male sexual harassment for females as reduced feeding time. In all species females spent significantly less time feeding in the presence of a male.…”

“…In some species, courting males behave aggressively towards females, or even harass females, during courtship displays (Schlupp et al 2001;Ojanguren & Magurran 2007;Plath et al 2007). A female that observes how a male courts another female gains information about this male, and may reject an aggressive male, without being physically involved (Witte & Ueding 2003).…”

Sex recognition in surface- and cave-dwelling Atlantic molly females (Poecilia mexicana, Poeciliidae, Teleostei): influence of visual and non-visual cues

“…Several studies have reported on costs for females arising from this male sexual harassment in terms of a reduction of female feeding efficiency in the presence of a harassing male (guppy, P. reticulata: Magurran and Seghers 1994a;Griffiths 1996;mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki: Pilastro et al 2003; sailfin molly, P. latipinna: Schlupp et al 2001;surface-dwelling P. mexicana: Plath et al 2003asurface-dwelling P. mexicana: Plath et al , 2007b. A notable exception is the cave molly: as a consequence of the decreased sexual activity of the males, sexual harassment is basically absent in this population (Plath et al 2003a(Plath et al , 2004a(Plath et al , 2007b. Hence, another question of the current study was to investigate if both surface-and cave-dwelling (nonreceptive) P. mexicana females would avoid males and prefer to associate with another female.…”

“…For example, cave mollies exhibit reduced shoaling (Parzefall 1993b), aggressive behavior (Parzefall 1974(Parzefall , 1979 and male sexual activity (Plath et al 2003a(Plath et al , 2005a(Plath et al , 2007b. These reductions have traditionally been interpreted as consequences to life in darkness (Parzefall 2001), but the roles of energy limitation and the presence of H 2 S have not been fully considered yet (for discussions see Tobler et al 2006;Plath et al 2007a, c).…”