Nothobranchius furzeri as an emerging model for mate choice: Female choice revealed by animations

Abstract

The African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) is the shortest-lived vertebrate research model. It is also sexually dimorphic, making it suitable for studying sexual selection. We take advantage of a natural tail colour polymorphism in males and investigate female responses to computer animations of males that differ in this phenotype. Our findings indicate that GRZ (Gonarezhou) females prefer animated males with traits specific to their strain (a yellow tail with a black band) compared to males exhibiting traits from another strain of the same species (a red tail). When females were simultaneously shown animations of both males, they spent significantly more time on the side of the tank where the yellow-tailed animation was visible, and significantly more time interacting with the yellow-tailed animation. Given these repeatable responses and the availability of genomic resources, N. furzeri represents an excellent, untapped model for studying the genetic basis of preferences and reproductive behaviours.