Female Sex Pheromone of the Loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, Involved in Courtship Behaviour

Abstract

It was demonstrated that male loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, were able to discriminate post-ovulatory females from pre-ovulatory ones on the basis of a chemical cue.
Some important aspects derived from the experiments are listed as follows; 1. Post-ovulatory females released a sex pheromone, which males detected by olfaction.
2. The female sex pheromone was present in the ovaries and the genital cavity fluid of postovulatory females.
3. The effect of the female sex pheromone on males lasted less than 3 h after ovulation.
4. The female sex pheromone played roles such as informing males of the occurrence of ovulation, attracting males, and eliciting persistent courtship of males.