Studies of female platyfishes, whose male counterparts have a variety of tail shapes, show that the females prefer male fish with artificial swordlike structures attached to their tails. this observation is most consistent with the a) notion of a molecular clock. b) maximum likelihood principle. c) sensory exploitation hypothesis. d) principle of homoplasy. e) parsimony principle.

This observation is most consistent with the sensory exploitation hypothesis.

Option: (C)

Explanation:

The 'sensory exploitation hypothesis' states that the male sexual characters as adaptations are to exploit female reaction that is developed in non-sexual contexts. As we see the example in the case of female platy fishes, how they prefer the male fish having the artificial sword like structures that are attached to their tails. Sensory exploitation is a sensory bias that is applied to gain the probability of having better reproductive success.