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Male mate preference and size‐assortative pairing in the convict cichlid
Author(s) -
Beeching S. C.,
Hopp A. B.
Publication year - 1999
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.1095-8649.1999.tb00735.x
Subject(s) - biology , mate choice , convict , cichlid , assortative mating , sexual selection , preference , attractiveness , zoology , pairing , competition (biology) , demography , mating , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , fishery , psychology , statistics , physics , superconductivity , mathematics , criminology , quantum mechanics , sociology , psychoanalysis
Male convict cichlids Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum presented three females simultaneously were found to prefer larger females, even if a female's size exceeded their own. This indicates that some mechanism other than male choice, such as female choice or intrasexual competition, must contribute to male‐larger assortative pairing in convict cichlids. Despite a preference for larger females, males continued to consort with smaller females when available, and a females attractiveness was a function of her size relative to other females.