Volume 3 Issue 1 | 2026 | View PDF
Paper Id:IJMSM-V3I1P128
doi: 10.71141/30485037/V3I1P128

Mate Choice in Guppies - Significance of Tail Size and Tail Regeneration

Jilna Alex N

Citation:
Jilna Alex N, "Mate Choice in Guppies - Significance of Tail Size and Tail Regeneration" International Journal of Multidisciplinary on Science and Management, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 292-300, 2026.

Abstract:
Mate choice behavior reflects the likelihood of an individual choosing to mate with a particular individual and not another. Guppies are known for their diverse color patterns in males, sexual dimorphism, and promiscuous mating system. In the present study it is hypothesized that female guppies demonstrate a clear preference for males with larger tails, and this preference translates into enhanced reproductive fitness for these males. The results revealed that in guppies, under laboratory conditions males have a preference for large females. Female guppies demonstrate a clear preference for males with larger tails, and this preference translates into enhanced reproductive fitness for these males. Further, the males preferred females with regenerated tail more often than a female selecting a male with regenerated tail – a behaviour linked with the tail pigmentation in regenerated tail. Studies of sexual selection in guppies reflect relatively a simple view of the evolution of colour patterns.

Keywords: Mate Choice, Poecillia Reticulata , Regenerated Tail , Sexual Dimorphism, Sexual Selection.

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