Fish
Northern studfish, Fundulus catenatus, nuptial male.—Northern studfish inhabit shallow, backwater habitats in creeks
and rivers draining the Eastern Highlands and Ozarks, regions of
remarkable fish diversity in North America. A member of the topminnow
family, Fundulidae, the northern studfish demonstrates interesting
examples of sexual dichromatism (differences among sexes in coloration)
and functional morphology. In species that exhibit sexual dichromatism,
usually the male displays brilliant, even gaudy, nuptial colors, while
female coloration is less intense or even "plain." Differentiation of
sexes may also include (sometimes dramatic) variation in size and shapes
(sexual dimorphism). These phenomena have evolved in many groups of
plants and animals and are often related to an evolutionary process that
Charles Darwin termed "sexual selection."
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