Sexual Preferences of Male Poecilia reticulata in Regards to the Coloration of Female Poecilia reticulate

Abstract

The sexual selection of the guppy species Poecilia reticulata has been observed extensively in females, but few studies have been published that look at the sexual preferences of male guppies towards females. Because there has not been much research done with male guppies, the inclinations of male Poecilia reticulata remains highly debated with many studies questioning as to what traits males favor when selecting a female. Our study aims to look at the sexual tendencies, and mate selection preferences, of male guppies toward females using brightly colored 3D printed models to see if distinctive coloration of females will be more attractive and suggest a rare and unique gene pool. In our study, we conducted an experiment where one live male guppy was under testing by placing two models at a time in the controlled environment for five minutes. During these five minutes, we watched for courtship behavior from the male and how long he spent with each model. In conclusion of this study, we found that male guppies displayed sexual preference for the control model suggesting that color is not a factor when males are choosing a female for reproduction.