sneaker male

[miquel]

hello everybody,

is there a way to find out if a "female"is a sneaker male? because i've got a pair of aggies, were the male won't stop chasing the female. I've tried the method of neil by putting the male with a pair of viejita for a few days a few times. And every time i put him back he starts again. after having a closer look at the female i noticed that her dorsal was extended and her breastfins were too. please can anyone tell me if there is something else i can do or if there is a way of telling if my female is actually a male.

merry christmas and a happy new year
miquel

 

[Neil]

miquel,
Either take the dominant male out for a longer period of time or take the female? out for awhile (weeks). If it is a recessive male, it may take some time to show. I would take the dominant male out for 2 weeks. If the other is a female, she will gain a better foothold in the tank and probably be inclined to breed once the male is put back in. Or, if a "sneaker" male, you might start seeing more clear indications of his manhood or male fishhood :? .

The point is seperate to find out!

neil

 

[P.W.]

Hi

I found this explanation to the term "sneaker males" among the apistos,
in a article from this website:

http://www.mn-aquarium.org/masart27.htm

Dean Hougen wrote;

"Quite interestingly, there are non-territorial males which still
manage to reproduce. These males look remarkably like females, both to
aqurists and to territorial Apistogramma males. By fooling the territorial
male, these "sneaker males" are able to slip into the caves of ready
females within the territorial male's dominion and fertilize some or all
of the eggs before the dominant male has the chance to.

"Sneaker males" only occur in situations where some males are unable
to establish territories of their own and will become territorial males
themselves, with the accompanying impressive colors and finnage, if a
space opens up in the region's hierarchy."

Best regards/ Per

 

[Rolo]

Hi Miguel,

I don't think, it's a sneaker-male. Does it look like a male?
Anyway, even though they looks like cute little angels, they are NOT! It is not unusual, that male Agassiziis are very agressive against their females. The whole relatedness, including mainly the pulchra and agassizii complex are the most agressive complexes I know. This contains mainly intraspecific agressions but also interspecific. If there are not enough room or possibilities to hide for the female, it could kill her. Often it's necessary to remove the male, while the female has juveniles.

greetings,
Rolo