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Bourgeois males of the peacock blenny, Salaria pavo, discriminate female mimics from females?
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Abstract(s)
In a Portuguese population of Salaria pavo, two types of reproductively active
males occur: large bourgeois males that defend nests and have fully developed
secondary sex characters (SSC) and small sneaker males that mimic the females
morphology and behaviour to approach nests and parasitize fertilizations. These
two alternative reproductive tactics are sequential, as sneakers develop into
bourgeois males. We investigated whether bourgeois males were able to discriminate
between sneakers and females of different sizes. In a laboratory experiment
bourgeois males were sequentially presented with a female and a sneaker matched
for size. Complementary field observations were conducted on the interactions
between females and sneakers with bourgeois males. If bourgeois males discriminated
females from sneakers, we predicted that they should direct more aggressive
behaviours towards sneakers and more courtship acts towards females. In general,
bourgeois males courted and attacked small females and sneakers equally.
However, large sneakers were courted less and attacked more than large females.
Larger sneakers, beginning to develop SSC, were attacked more and courted less
by the bourgeois male than smaller sneakers, and larger females were attacked less
and courted more than smaller females. These results strongly suggest that only
small female-mimicking males were able to deceive bourgeois males. In S. pavo, if
the sneakers fertilization success correlates with their female-mimicking ability, a
fitness decrease with an increasing body size can be predicted.
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Citation
Ethology, 111, 559-572