Mating Preferences of Male Poecilia reticulate Depending on Size of Potential Mates

Abstract

The mating preferences of Poecilia reticulata often assist researchers in understanding sexual selection among fish of varying species. This is due to a variety of factors being their size, straightforward care, and identifiable courting behaviors. We tested male Poecilia reticulata’s preference of larger females over smaller females. We tested this preference over the course of 10 trials where the male fish showed some mating behaviors between the two sizes of female guppies and spent time on one or the other side of the tank. Our results represented that the male guppy spent more time with the larger female guppy, however showed the same amount of biting and a lower but still significant amount of sigmoid behavior toward the smaller guppy. The results we obtained are not significant because of the inconsistency between time spent and mating behavior shown. Mating preferences of male guppies differ depending on the male guppy undergoing the sexual selection.