A new study on mate choice in the Lake Victoria haplochromine cichlid Pundamilia nyererei provides further support for the theory that speciation in these fish is driven by female choice.
A team of scientists from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands studied Pundamilia (formerly Haplochromis) nyererei in aquaria and in the field to test the hypothesis that females drive divergence in male colouration to eventually form new species.
Lake Victoria haplochromines are a textbook example of explosive speciation, as over 500 species are believed to have evolved in around 14,000 years.
The big differences in male breeding dress, or nuptial colouration, between males of the same species and of related species, has inspired the theory that sexual selection has caused the cichlids to evolve so rapidly.
It's believed that differences in the way females of a single species select a male partner could lead to new species forming, and that new species generally mate only with members of their own kind, something known as reproductive isolation.
The results of the study show that a male colour trait in Pundamilia nyererei, which had been shown before to be important in providing reproductive isolation, was under the direct control of the females.
The study also provides further evidence to show that male territoriality is important to overall reproductive success, and that it is common for female maternal mouthbrooding cichlids to spawn with several males at the same time.
For more details see the paper: Maan ME, Seehausen O, Soderberg L, Johnson L, Ripmeester EA, Mrosso HD, Taylor MI, van Dooren TJ, van Alphen JJ. (2004) - Intraspecific sexual selection on a speciation trait, male coloration, in the Lake Victoria cichlid Pundamilia nyererei. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2004 Dec 7;271(1556):2445-52.