Visual habitat geometry predicts relative morph abundance in the colour-polymorphic ornate rainbowfish.

Evening up the score: sexual selection favours both alternatives in the colour-polymorphic ornate rainbowfish

Differential predation on the two colour morphs of Nicaraguan Crater lake Midas cichlid fish : implications for the maintenance of its gold-dark polymorphism

Predation can play an important role in the evolution and maintenance of prey colour polymorphisms. Several factors are known to affect predator choice, including the prey’s relative abundance and conspicuousness. In polymorphic prey species, predators often target the most common or most visible morphs. To test if predator choice can explain why in Midas cichlid fish the more visible (gold) mo...

Trophic niche divergence among colour morphs that exhibit alternative mating tactics.

Discrete colour morphs associated with alternative mating tactics are assumed to be ecologically equivalent. Yet suites of behaviours linked with reproduction can also favour habitat segregation and exploitation of different prey among morphs. By contrast, trophic polymorphisms are usually attributed to morphs exhibiting habitat or prey selectivity. An alternative hypothesis is that habitat var...

Habitat Segregation among Trophic Morphs of the Cuatro Ciénegas Cichlid (Herichthys minckleyi) Segregación de hábitat entre formas tróficas de la mojarra de Cuatro Ciénegas (Herichthys minckleyi)

Herichthys minckleyi is an endangered, trophically polymorphic cichlid endemic to the Cuatro Ciénegas basin of Coahuila, Mexico. A molariform morph has stout pharyngeal teeth whereas a papilliform morph has numerous fine pharyngeal teeth. Individuals with intermediate pharyngeal dentition also exist, as does yet another morph, called piscivore. Previous studies indicated that morphs utilize dif...

Colour differentiation in a coral reef fish throughout ontogeny: habitat background and flexibility

Colour polymorphism is widespread in animals but, in contrast to other types of polymorphism, has been little explored during ontogeny. Among coral reef fish, the surge damselfish Chrysiptera leucopoma settles in the larval stage as a yellow morph, whereas 2 colour morphs (yellow and brown) are apparent in adults at Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia. To understand this dimorphism, we tested, und...