Experimental manipulation of male eggspots demonstrates female preference for one large spot in Pseudotropheus lombardoi

Females of the Lake Malawi cichlid Pseudotropheus lombardoi preferred males with one eggspot, the natural number, on their anal fin compared to males with two eggspots which had been artificially manipulated in number, Furthermore by manipulating the size of the eggspot, it was found that females preferred males with one large eggspot to males with one small eggspot. These results indicate that female preferences are responsible for the single eggspot in P. lombardoi and that this may be linked to species recognition as females of closely related species appear to exhibit different preferences for male eggspots. (C) 2002 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.