Abstract
Kin discrimination has been demonstrated in many animals. Chemical cues are known as important sources for kin discrimination in fish. In this study, we examined kin discrimination using chemical cues by juveniles of the cyprinid fish Puntius titteya. In the choice experiment with two chemical stimuli, juveniles could discriminate between and preferred a chemical stimulus of nonkin adult fish over that without any fish, and a chemical stimulus of their parents over that of nonkin adults. In addition, juveniles discriminated between and preferred a chemical stimulus of unfamiliar kin juveniles over that of unfamiliar nonkin juveniles. This result suggests that juveniles can conduct kin discrimination based on phenotype matching and may obtain benefits from kin selection, such as a reduction in the predation risks by making a shoal with kin juveniles. Inconsistent with previous results of some other fish, juvenile P. titteya did not show a preference for the chemical stimulus of familiar kin juveniles over that of unfamiliar kin juveniles. This result may suggest that, in this species, kin preference is a more important factor for shoaling decisions than familiarity with other individuals.
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