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Cited by 624

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 10 of the 10 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Female Preference Predates the Evolution of the Sword in Swordtail Fish

Basolo, Alexandra L.·1990·Science

Abstract

The study of female preferences and the evolution of male traits has until recently centered on genetic coevolutionary mechanisms. An alternative mechanism posits that a preference results from a preestablished bias in the female information-processing system arising from sources independent of sexual selection. Male traits then arise that are selected by this preexisting preference. The genus Xiphophorus consists of swordless platyfish and swordtails. Swordlessness is the primitive state. In this study, female platyfish, X. maculatus , were found to prefer conspecific males with artificial swords over those without swords, despite evidence that the common ancestor of platyfish and swordtails was swordless. These results suggest that the evolution of the sword in the swordtail clade was a consequence of selection arising from a preexisting bias.

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Metadata

Authors
Basolo, A. L.
Venue
Science
Published
1990-11-09
Volume
250
Issue
4982
Pages
808-810
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W2052579845
Cited by
624
References
10
FWCI
43.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Female Preference Predates the Evolution of the Sword in Swordtail Fish. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1126/science.250.4982.808
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Basolo, A. L. (1990). Female Preference Predates the Evolution of the Sword in Swordtail Fish. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.250.4982.808

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