Vertebrate Zoology 60(3): 199-208, doi:
Intraspecific colour preference in mate choice by female Apistogramma cacatuoides HOEDEMAN, 1951 (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae)
Bernd Engelking, Uwe Römer‡, Wolfgang Beisenherz‡ Universität Triercom, Triercom, Germany
Corresponding author: Uwe Römer ( eu.roemer@t-online.de ) © Bernd Engelking, Uwe Römer, Wolfgang Beisenherz. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Citation:
Engelking B, Römer U, Beisenherz W (2010) Intraspecific colour preference in mate choice by female Apistogramma cacatuoides HOEDEMAN, 1951 (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae). Vertebrate Zoology 60(3): 199-208 |  |
Abstract
In mate-choice experiments females of the Neotropical cichlid Apistogramma cacatuoides unerringly differentiate between males of different populations and a red aquarium strain. Females use male colour traits to choose their mates. The preference of wild females for red-coloured males varies from 3 % to 69 % dependent on geographical origin, whereas aquarium-strain females prefer their own bright-coloured males in about 90 % of cases. The preferences of wild females show signifi cant differences depending on their origin and following a geographical gradient. The high degree of stability in assortative mating behaviour in female A. cacatuoides may indicate incipient speciation processes.
Keywords
Speciation, behaviour, reproductive biology, assortative mating, sexual selection, cichlids, Neotropics, Peru.