Data from: Poison frog color morphs express assortative mate preferences in allopatry but not sympatry

The concurrent divergence of mating traits and preferences is necessary
for the evolution of reproductive isolation via sexual selection, and such
coevolution has been demonstrated in diverse lineages. However, the extent
to which assortative mate preferences are sufficient to drive reproductive
isolation in nature is less clear. Natural contact zones between lineages
divergent in traits and preferences provide exceptional opportunities for
testing the predicted evolutionary consequences of such divergence. The
strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) displays extreme color
polymorphism in and around the young Bocas del Toro archipelago. In a
transition zone between red and blue allopatric lineages, we asked whether
female preferences diverged along with coloration, and whether any
divergent preferences persist in a zone of sympatry. When choosing among
red, blue and phenotypically intermediate males, females from monomorphic
red and monomorphic blue populations both expressed assortative
preferences. However, red, blue, and intermediate females from the contact
zone all preferred red males, suggesting that divergent preferences may be
insufficient to effect behavioral isolation. Our results highlight the
complexity of behavioral isolation, and the need for studies that can
reveal the circumstances under which divergent preferences do and do not
contribute to speciation.