Agonistic and reproductive interactions in ^I Betta splendens

Conducted 8 experiments to investigate the reproductive and agonistic behaviors of Siamese fighting fish and isolated some consequences and determinants of these sequences. Fights and the formation of dominance-subordinancy relations were studied, using 536 pairs of male fish. The effect and magnitude of prior residency, the importance of body length, chemical cues, and intratank visual/tactile clues were observed. Findings indicate that large body size as well as Ss' prior residency in a tank produced an agonistic advantage; the magnitude of this advantage was positively related to the duration of residency. The prior-residency effect in Bettas was determined by Ss' familiarity with visual and/or tactile cues in their home tanks. Dominant males had greater access to living space and were more likely to display at a mirror, build nests, and approach females than were subordinates. Finally, it was discovered that chemical cues associated with presumedly inert plastic tank dividers influenced Bettas's social behavior. (22 ref)