Female and male Texas cichlids (Herichthys cyanoguttatum) do not fight by the same rules

Selection usually acts differently on males and females during intrasexual competition for resources and/or mates. Nevertheless, agonistic behavior has been examined both theoretically and empirically mostly in males. Our research questions whether males and females follow the same rules of engagement in intrasexual contests as predicted by the sequential assessment model (SAM). The SAM predicts negative correlations between contest intensity and duration and the magnitude of asymmetry in resource holding power (RHP) between the contestants, such that the most escalated contests are those between similarly endowed individuals. We staged male and female intrasexual contests with varying degrees of body size asymmetry under a round robin design using the monogamous Texas cichlid fish (Herichthys cyanoguttatum) as a study case. We used Mantel's matrix analysis to compare how the behavioral content, duration, structure, and outcome of male and female contests were affected by the relative body size of the contestants. In the case of males, relative size in each contest predicted outcome, duration, and frequency of conventional and escalated behaviors according to prevailing theory. Female contest structure and outcome, however, were not predicted by the relative size of contestants. We discuss our results in terms of other asymmetries that might be important in structuring female contests, and we propose potential approaches to study female--female aggression. Copyright 2004.