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Mate choice and size assortative pairing by the cichlid fishes of Lake Jiloá, Nicaragua
Author(s) -
McKaye K. R.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1986.tb05005.x
Subject(s) - cichlid , assortative mating , biology , mate choice , sexual selection , mating , competition (biology) , zoology , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery
Size‐assortative mating occurs for all six substratum‐spawning cichlids studied in Lake Jiloá, Nicaragua. Mate quality is clearly a dominant consideration for both sexes, as larger pairs had disproportionately more young surviving beyond 3 weeks. Mating with the largest available mate should generally be advantageous to both sexes, since the success of a pair is dependent on their ability to take and defend a territory. A model involving mate discrimination by both partners is developed and contrasted to models involving single sex discrimination with intrasexual competition.