Spawning success in the damselfishAmblyglyphidodon leucogaster: the influence of eggs in the nest

Abstract

Spawning success of males and its correlates were investigated in a natural colony of whitebelly damselfish,A. leucogaster(Pomacentridae), to explore the criteria that females use in choosing mates. The mating success of individual males was variable, with some males acquiring as few as 5000 eggs and others as many as 450000 eggs during a breeding season. Male spawning success was not correlated with body size, territory size, nest site parameters or parental care behaviour. Egg hatching success was not related to either male size or egg clutch size, and all males were capable of rearing eggs to hatching. The temporal sequence of choices by females indicated non-independent choice by females, such that males chosen by females on the first spawn of the day were also chosen by females that spawned later in the day. Field observations indicated that, in the absence of male courtship, females preferentially visited males that had eggs in their nest site. Males that had recently mated were preferred by females over those males with either late-stage eggs or no eggs in the nest. This female preference did not appear to be related to increased paternal care or egg clutch survival. Given that the mating system is promiscuous and non-resource based, and that there appears to be little difference among males in body size, females may be mating non-independently by mimicking the choice of other females.