Relative sexual attractiveness does not influence mate-choice copying in male Trinidadian guppies, Poecilia reticulata

Does individual personality predict male mating preference for female body size in the Trinidadian guppy?

“…This finding is unexpected and contrasts with some previous studies in which male guppies expressed a general (average) preference for the relatively larger of two females, especially when the size difference was relatively large (e.g., Dosen & Montgomerie, 2004; Godin & Auld, 2013; Herdman et al., 2004; Jeswiet et al., 2012). However, similar to our current results, other studies have reported random mating preferences on average in male Trinidadian guppies (Jeswiet & Godin, 2011; Pusiak et al., 2020) when simultaneously presented with two stimulus females that differed in body length. Mating preferences varied widely among individuals in our current study, ranging from some males strongly preferring the larger female to others strongly preferring the smaller one.…”

“…Of the 108 males initially tested, 56 were excluded from further testing and statistical analysis because they exhibited either a side bias ( n = 24) or did not sample (“visited”) both of the paired stimulus females ( n = 32). These rates of side bias and non‐sampling of paired potential mates fall within the range of values that have been reported for dichotomous mate‐choice studies in poeciliid fishes (e.g., Auld et al., 2016; Auld, Ramnarine, & Godin, 2017; Jeswiet & Godin, 2011; Pusiak, Auld, & Godin, 2020; Schlupp, Marler, & Ryan, 1994; Schlupp & Ryan, 1997).…”