FAS Abstracts 2004 Meeting Page

Biological Sciences (BIO A): BIO-2

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Face suckers aren’t sexy: effect of a parasitic isopod on mating success in male bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus). M.P. ROBINSON.  Dept. Biol., Univ. Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0421. Although parasites are known to be important in mate choice, most parasites are internal or cryptic.  Choosers must assess parasite load indirectly by the vigor of the host.  I examined the effect of a large, external isopod parasite, Anilocra partiti, on the mating success of the bicolor damselfish, Stegastes partitus, a fish with female choice and paternal egg care.  I experimentally parasitized 20 adult damselfish males and observed them for five months.  Mating success of parasitized males decreased to zero immediately.  There was no initial difference in the courtship rates of experimental and control males, however.  Some parasitized males mated successfully during the final two months of surveys. The presence alone of these parasites appears to be sufficient to affect female mate choice, thereby reducing the mating success of the male hosts.