The Influence of Population Density on the Mating System of Thalassoma pavo, a Protogynous Mediterranean Labrid Fish

Abstract. The aim of the present study is to determine the factor balancing the reproductive polymorphism obSérved in Thalassoma pavo , a Méditerranean labrid fish that shows two sexually distinct types of males: small gonochoristic males and large sex-changed males. Large males defend specific mating sites above which females come to spawn. In such a mating system (pair spawning performed only by large territorial males), small males almost never get the opportunity to spawn. In a similar situation, Thalassoma bifasciatum , a coral reef species, shows a change of its mating system due to the influence of population density. As the population density grows, the proportion of small males in the population increases until they are numerous enough to take over a mating site where they perform group spawns. Concerning Thalassoma pavo , neither the group spawning behavior nor any other factor has ever been described to explain the maintenance of the two types of males.