Sailfin molly females (Poecilia latipinna) copy the rejection of a male

Abstract

When females choose among males they often accept one male as a potential partner and reject others as nonacceptable mates. The rejection of "wrong" males and the acceptance of "right" males are equally important processes in mate choice. Sailfin molly females have been shown to copy the mate choice of other females when accepting a male. The present study used video playbacks to test whether or not sailfin molly females copy the rejection of a male. Test females spent significantly less time with previously attractive males after having observed their rejection by other females. Eight of 15 females even reversed their choice and preferred the male they had previously found unattractive. In control experiments, we showed that neither inconsistency in female mate choice nor escape behavior of a female in a nonsexual context could explain these results. This is the first study that shows that sailfin molly females copy the rejection of a male.