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Hormonal regulation of female nuptial coloration in a fish
Authors:Sköld Helen Nilsson  Amundsen Trond  Svensson Per Andreas  Mayer Ian  Bjelvenmark Jens  Forsgren Elisabet
Institution:aDepartment of Marine Ecology, Göteborg University, 566 Kristineberg, SE-450 34 Fiskebäckskil, Sweden;bDepartment of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway;cSchool of Biological Sciences, Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia;dDepartment of Biology, University of Bergen, NO-5020 Bergen, Norway;eNorwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
Abstract:Physiological color change in camouflage and mating is widespread among fishes, but little is known about the regulation of such temporal changes in nuptial coloration and particularly concerning female coloration. To better understand regulation of nuptial coloration we investigated physiological color change in female two-spotted gobies (Gobiusculus flavescens). Females of this species develop an orange belly that acts as an ornament. The orange color is caused by the color of the gonads combined with the chromathophore based pigmentation and transparency of the skin. Often during courtship and female–female competition, a rapid increase in orange coloration, in combination with lighter sides and back that increases skin and body transparency, gives the belly an intense ‘glowing’ appearance. To understand how this increased orange coloration can be regulated we analysed chromatic and transparency effects of neurohumoral agents on abdominal skin biopsies in vitro. We found prolactin and α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) to increase orange coloration of the skin. By contrast, melatonin and noradrenaline increased skin transparency, but had a negative effect on orange coloration. However, mixtures of melatonin and MSH, or melatonin and prolactin, increased both orange coloration and transparency. This effect mimics the chromatic ‘glow’ effect that commonly takes place during courtship and intra sexual aggression. Notably, not only epidermal chromatophores but also internal chromatophores lining the peritoneum responded to hormone treatments. There were no chromatic effects of the sex steroids 17β-estradiol, testosterone or 11-ketotestosterone. We hypothesize that similar modulation of nuptial coloration by multiple hormones may be widespread in nature.
Keywords:Sexual selection  Female ornament  Chromatophores  Gobiusculus flavescens  Prolactin  Melanocyte stimulating hormone  Melatonin
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