Please send the completed form (preferably by e-mail) to:
Dr. BJA Pollux
or
Experimental Zoology Group
Wageningen University
6708 WD Wageningen
the Netherlands
E-mail: b.pollux@gmail.com
E-mail: bart.pollux@wur.nl
Web: http://www.bartpollux.nl
Dr. DN Reznick
Department of Biology
University of California Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
USA
E-mail: gupy@ucr.edu
E-mail: david.reznick@ucr.edu
Web: http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~gupy/Reznick/
This form was filled in by:
Name: __________________________________________________________
Date: ___________________________________________________________
Contact information: ______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
I. Species information
Species name: ____________________________________________________
Collection site (if known): ____________________________________________
Date of collection (if known): _________________________________________
Collected by (if known): _____________________________________________
II. Differences in coloration between males and females
a) Is there a difference in pigmentation between males and females? ________
If yes, can you please describe these sexual differences in pigmentation:
 What, if any, are the differences in body pigmentation? __________________
______________________________________________________________
 What, if any, are the differences in coloration of the dorsal fin? ____________
______________________________________________________________
 What, if any, are the differences in coloration of the tail fin? ______________
______________________________________________________________
 Are there any other differences in coloration (e.g. mouth, belly or
gonopodium)? __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
b) Some species may have differences in structural coloration between males
and females. Structural coloration is difficult to see and may only be visible at
specific angles where it is apparent as a ‘metallic iridescent blue, purple or
bronze hue’. Is there a difference in structural coloration between males and
females? If yes, can you please describe these differences?
________________________________________________________________
c) Some species may have only one or a few dominant males with beautiful
coloration, while all remaining males lack coloration. For example, some mollies
have dominant male(s) that have a beautifully colored dorsal fin, while the others
don’t. Were all the males in your tank beautifully colored, or were there only a
few dominant males? _______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
III. Sexual behavior
d) Protocol for behavioral observations

To standardize observations by different people as much as possible, it is
preferable that observations are performed in a similar way. An ideal
standardized protocol that we recommend is placing 5 males and 5 females
in a 10 gallon (40 liter) tank for smaller species or a 20 gallon (80 liter) tank
for larger species. Fish will need to acclimate to their new surroundings for at
least a few days before you make observations. Please observe male
behavior for a period of 5 minutes (for details see e). Did you follow this
standardized protocol? ________________

We realize that it may not be possible for everybody to follow this
standardized protocol. It would be great if you could indicate here below how
your observations differ from the protocol described above:
- What was the size of your tank? _____________________(gallon / liter
?)
- How many males and females were in your tank at the time of
observation? _________________________________________________
- Can you please indicate the amount of time you spend observing the
fish?
____________________________________________________________
e) Description of sexual behavior
When observing the males, we would appreciate it if you could focus on one
male at a time and record the following behaviors:
 Please indicate the amount of time that a female was being chased by a
male. _________________________________________________________
 Please indicate the number of copulation attempts by a male (defined as a
male flipping its gonopodium forward and swimming towards a female in an
attempt to mate). _______________________________________________
 Did you observed any behavior that can be classified as sexual harassment
or sneak copulation? Can you please describe this behavior in detail?
______________________________________________________________
 Did you observe any behavior that can be typified as courtship behavior?
Can you please describe this behavior in detail?
______________________________________________________________
IV. Additional information



What was the water temperature in your tank? ________________________
Are you attaching any photos of the males and females showing their
coloration (if so, can you give the filenames)? _________________________
______________________________________________________________
Are you attaching videos showing sexual behavior of this species (if so, can
you give the filenames)?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________