Reversed Sex‐Change in the Protogynous Reef Fish Labroides dimidiatus

Abstract

Protogynous hermaphroditism, or female‐to‐male sex change, is known for many reef fishes including wrasses (family Labridae) in which large males monopolize mating. When the dominant male disappears from a polygynous group, the largest female may change sex within a few weeks. Such social control of sex change was first documented in harems of the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus almost 30 yr ago. To examine whether change of social status would induce males of L. dimidiatus to perform reversed sex‐change, we conducted experiments: (i) releasing single males near lone males whose mates have been removed in the field; and (ii) keeping two males in a tank. Smaller males changed back to females when they became subordinate: it took 53–77 d (n=3) for them to complete gonadal sex change and release eggs in the aquarium. The male–male pairs performed spawning behavior, with the smaller male in the female role already 5–58 d before completion of gonadal sex change. This is the first report of reversed sex‐change among protogynous wrasses. Moreover, we conducted another experiment, keeping a pair of a male and a larger female in a tank (n=1). We found sex change by both mates, which has not been reported from any fishes. Thus, the sex of L. dimidiatus is strictly determined by social status whenever it changes after mate loss.