Abstract
Gonadectomized male longear ( Lepomis megalotis) and pumpkinseed ( L. gibbosus) sunfish maintained high levels of aggression but failed to dig nests under conditions which induced nesting in sham-operated fish. The castrates dug nests when treated with methyl testosterone. Longears with gonads moved into shallow water more readily than did castrates and dug their nests closer together than did testosterone treated castrates. Male coloration was retained in castrates which were forced into close contact but not in castrates allowed to move freely in wading pools. Intact longears in wading pools retained their bright coloration, but were effectively crowded by the closeness of their nests. Nest digging and nest site location are controlled by gonadal androgens while aggression and coloration are unaffected by hormones in a crowded situation but are increased by androgens in an open situation possibly due to the crowding caused by nesting in close groups.
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