Does It Matter That Male Beaugregory Damselfish Have a Mate Preference?

Male beaugregory damselfish (Stegastes leucostictus) spent more time courting larger females in both two-choice and single presentations. Female size was significantly correlated with gonad weight. We also verified that female fecundity was extremely variable within a natural population. We found th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral ecology and sociobiology 1998-03, Vol.42 (3), p.149-155
Main Authors: Itzkowitz, M., M. J. Draud, J. L. Barnes, Haley, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha and pisces
Animal ethology
Biological and medical sciences
Clutch size
Courtship
Eggs
Fecundity
Female animals
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Male animals
Marine
Mating behavior
Ova
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Reproductive success
Single status
Stegastes leucostictus
Vertebrata
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Summary:Male beaugregory damselfish (Stegastes leucostictus) spent more time courting larger females in both two-choice and single presentations. Female size was significantly correlated with gonad weight. We also verified that female fecundity was extremely variable within a natural population. We found that male reproductive success was highly correlated with both clutch size and clutch number. However, clutch size was not significantly correlated with clutch number, indicating that males that received larger clutches did not receive more egg clutches. Furthermore, there was no difference between the number of offspring produced by males that mated with the largest females and by males that mated with the most females. Thus, although males preferred larger females, males produced similar numbers of offspring by mating with large females or mating with many females.
ISSN:0340-5443
1432-0762
DOI:10.1007/s002650050425