ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author use the term hormonal pheromone to describe both pheromones that contain only hormones, and pheromones consisting partially or entirely of hormone precursors or metabolites, or simply components of a hormone biosynthetic pathway. The preovulatory and postovulatory hormonal pheromones of Goldfish also differ in the physiological mechanisms through which they induce endocrine and testicular responses in males. For pheromones released in urine pulses, total rate is divided by the pulse rate. The hormonal pheromones of Goldfish appear remarkably similar to those of the closely related crucian carp and Common Carp. Although the emphasis of goby pheromone research has been on odors released by territorial males to attract females, there is evidence that goby pheromones might mediate interactions in all gender combinations. A growing consensus about cichlid phylogeny appears to provide an opportunity to use electroolfactogram screening to explore the evolution of hormonal pheromones within the family.
