Beauty is in the Eye of the Poecilia reticulata: Sensory Bias in Male Mating Preference

Abstract

Previous studies observe the mating behaviors of guppies in relation to color preference and how these factors impact mate selection. Female guppies often elicit more mate preference to orange spotted males. Our study, though, tested the role of sensory bias in male guppies to find the dominant deciding factor of choosing a mate. The results showed that male guppies exhibit slightly more mating behaviors overall when an orange stimuli is presented. These results prompt the conclusion that male guppies may be influenced by color in their mate preferences. Furthermore, a sensory bias does seem to be prevalent in male guppies when choosing a mate. Future studies should seek to replicate our findings and offer male guppies the simultaneous exposure to an orange flag and an orange female guppy model.