Familiarity and its impacts on male mate preference the Sailfin Molly, Poecilia latipinna

Merrick Hall Room 301

Mating behaviors are an integral part of the life history and ecology of many species. Male mate preferences are an especially understudied area of research. We examined male mate preference for familiar and unfamiliar female fish in the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna. We hypothesized that males would prefer familiar females as they may have been able to gather additional information concerning the female’s reproductive status. Males were isolated for a minimum of four days and then tested in a choice tank with two females of similar size. After the experiment, each male was randomly assigned to be with one of the two females for 7-10 days, at which point he was retested again with the familiar female and another unfamiliar female. Our results will expand the growing body of knowledge of not only sailfin mollies, but the impacts of male mating preferences overall.