EVOLUTION & DEVELOPMENT 13:4, 352–360 (2011) DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-142X.2011.00490.x Gonad development in Midas cichlids and the evolution of sex change in fishes Ronald G. OldfieldÃ,1 University of Michigan, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Zoology, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA ÃAuthor for correspondence (email:
[email protected]) 1Present address: Case Western Reserve University, Department of Biology, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106. SUMMARY Some fishes mature and function as one sex aggressive behavior and sex in juveniles. I later demonstrated and later transform to the other sex in response to social that socially controlled sex determination does not typically interactions. Previous evidence suggested that a change in occur in the Midas cichlid and closely related species and developmental timing may be involved in the evolution of adult supported an alternative mechanism to explain large body sex change in fishes. The most recent support for this idea size in adult males. Finally, in the current study I analyze came from reports that sex in the Midas cichlid, Amphilophus gonad histology of fish from the same population used by the citrinellus, was determined by social conditions experienced at original authors and lay to rest the idea of socially controlled the juvenile stage. Differentiation as a male was reported to be sex determination in this species. Recent observations of dependent on large body size relative to group-mates, and socially controlled sex determination in juveniles of species thought to be mediated through aggressive interactions. Here that typically change sex at the adult stage are examples of I demonstrate that socially controlled sex determination does phenotypic plasticity, not genetic variation.