Male polymorphism in Limia perugiae (Pisces: Poeciliidae)

The male-polymorphic poeciliid fish, Limia perugiae, a small teleostean endemic to the southeast of the Caribbean island Hispañola, consists of three male size morphs with uniform females. Large males differentiate at a size varying between 25 and 38 mm; intermediate males, between 21 and 25 mm. Under competition, large males exhibit an elaborate courtship display, whereas small males show only a sneak-chase behavior. Intermediate males adapt their tactics to the respective competitors. However, all male morphs can switch from courtship display to sneak-chase behavior. In large mating groups with four males of different size and five or six virgin females, large dominant alpha-males as well as small subordinate delta-males did not produce any offspring. Unexpectedly, all progeny were sired exclusively by the intermediate subordinate beta- and gamma-males. Breeding experiments with the three male morphs can best be explained by a model of Y-linked genes for small and large size which are both suspended by the activity of an autosomal recessive repressor responsible for the development of intermediate males. The dominant allele of the recessive repressor, in either its homoorits heterozygous state, activates the Y-chromosomal genes for large or small size, respectively. Accordingly, intermediate males may produce male offspring of all size classes, depending on the presence of either the Y-linked gene or the autosomal repressor.