Geographical variation in male genitalia in Brachyrhaphis episcopi (Poeciliidae): is it sexually or naturally selected?

Abstract

Male poeciliid fishes inseminate females using an intromittent organ called the gonopodium. Here we report on natural variation in gonopodium size both within and between 12 populations of the freshwater fish Brachyrhaphis episcopi (Poeciliidae) in Panama. We show that males from sites with more predatory fish species have, on average, a relatively longer gonopodium than males inhabiting sites with fewer predatory fish. Gonopodium length was not correlated with the site-specific adult sex ratio and the average sex ratio was more strongly female biased at sites with more predatory fish. The gonopodium exhibited lower phenotypic variance than the average for sexually selected traits and it generally showed negative allometry. Our results are similar to those reported for the guppy Poecilia reticulata. Two alternative hypotheses for these findings are discussed. First, that population differences are sexually selected. Second, that they are an incidental consequence of environmental differences between sites. Specifically, that higher water flow rates select for enlarged fin size and stockier bodies in downstream sites where predatory fish are more common. Show more