Male parental care and female choice in the bicolor damselfish, Stegastes partitus: bigger is not always better

Abstract

Female mate choice and patterns of clutch loss were investigated in a natural population of the bicolor damselfish, Stegastes partitus, in an attempt to link criteria used by females in mate choice with male or territory characteristics that enhance egg survival. Previous studies of mate choice in fish species with paternal care have demonstrated the importance of male size and the brood size defended by males in determining female choice. In the present study, neither male size nor brood size influenced male mating success. Of the measured male and territory characteristics, females chose males solely on the basis of their courtship rate. The lack of a female preference for large males and for males with relatively larger broods appeared to result from the patterns of clutch loss. Egg-hatching success was unrelated to either male size or brood size. Future work will determine whether males with high courtship rates provide superior parental care.