Reproductive success in male Japanese minnows,Pseudorasbora parva: observations under experimental conditions

To evaluate the spawning success of male Japanese minnows,Pseudorasbora parva, and female mate choice, spawning behaviour was observed under both artificial and experimental conditions. Larger males had larger territories and greater reproductive success. The body weight of territorial males decreased during the maintenance of territories, while that of non-territorial males increased significantly. When the weight of non-territorial males exceeded that of territorial males, the former began to establish new territories on the substrate, suggesting a conditional strategy by non-territorial males to trade off immediate reproductive success with growth and hence improve future reproductive success. Females chose males with larger body size, probably based on dominance rank rather than the quality (or size) of territory. It was concluded that females choose males of higher dominance rank and that males compete for large territories, both of which play an important part in male reproductive success.