This native NZ fish can rapidly change its sex

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-05-14 09:01

New Zealand

Photo by Sascha Schulz (CC BY-NC)

When a male paketi/New Zealand spotty wrasse disappears from its territory, it can trigger the dominant female of the group to change sex. Researchers have studied this phenomenon, finding that after the male is removed, the next largest paketi will rapidly change its behaviour to become more dominant within an hour. They found there was increased activation in nearly all areas of the fish brain, especially the social decision-making network. The paketi was voted Te Ika o te Tau | Fish of the Year in 2024.

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Journal/
conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Otago, University of Waikato, Deakin University, Lincoln University, Macquarie University

Funder: Funding for this research was provided by a Marsden grant (UOO2115).

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