Divergent female mating preference in a clonal fish

In asexual all-female species, such as the Amazon molly, Poecilia formosa, that depend on sperm from “host males” only to trigger embryogenesis, mate choice does not provide any indirect, genetic benefits to the choosing female, although direct benefits are possible. Asexual species are thought to have a low evolutionary potential or evolvability due to the absence of meiotic recombination. Hence, theory predicts that mating preferences in P. formosa for male ornaments—if existent—should resemble those of females of the two parental species (Poecilia latipinna and Poecilia mexicana) involved in the natural hybridization that gave rise to the asexual P. formosa. When examining the female preference for dummy males with or without black vertical bars in the two parental species and in two lineages of P. formosa, a preference was detected in P. latipinna, but not in P. mexicana females. Interestingly, P. formosa living syntopic with P. latipinna also preferred striped males, while others living syntopic with P. mexicana preferred non-striped males. The evolutionary significance of this phenomenon remains largely unexplained, but it might indicate the evolution of mating preferences in a species with low evolutionary potential. Possible mechanisms include introgression and mitotic gene conversion. Females might use male coloration as indicator mechanisms for male traits that matter in terms of direct benefits.