Work

Unique mating behaviours in knife livebearers of the genus Alfaro (Poeciliidae): New observations from Alfaro huberi

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Poeciliid fishes show diverse courtship displays. Building on recent work in Alfaro cultratus, we document mating behaviours in its only congener, Alfaro huberi. In both species, males adopt a unique posture above females and initiate physical contact. A. cultratus males rub the tops of females' heads with their pelvic fins, whereas A. huberi males touch females' chins with the gonopodium, a modified anal fin used in copulation. We compare these behaviours and discuss how differences may relate to the distribution of female sensory organs.

Source: Journal of Fish Biology

DOI: 10.1111/jfb.70353

Authors: Kegan Morrow, Michael Tobler

Institutions: University of Missouri–St. Louis, Emporia State University, Saint Louis Zoo, Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center

Language: English

Topic: Animal Behavior and Reproduction

Subfield: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, Division of Integrative Organismal Systems

Awards: Collaborative Research: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Repeated Evolution: Integrating Micro- and Macroevolutionary Analyses and Functional Genomics, G4672466317, G516346945, RoL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS, PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION, AND THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES