Trophic Eggs and Parental Foraging for Young by the Catfish Bagrus meridionalis of Lake Malawi, Africa

Parental bagrid catfish in Lake Malawi, Africa, appear to feed their young in a manner analogous to birds and social insects. The female produces eggs which are released and consumed by the catfish young. Indirect evidence suggests that the male leaves the nest to forage and returns with benthic inv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 1986-06, Vol.69 (3), p.367-369
Main Author: McKaye, Kenneth R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha and pisces
Animal ethology
Animal nesting
Bagrus meridionalis
Benthic invertebrates
Biological and medical sciences
Catfish
Eggs
Female animals
Freshwater
Freshwater fishes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Larvae
Male animals
Ova
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Stomach
Vertebrata
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Summary:Parental bagrid catfish in Lake Malawi, Africa, appear to feed their young in a manner analogous to birds and social insects. The female produces eggs which are released and consumed by the catfish young. Indirect evidence suggests that the male leaves the nest to forage and returns with benthic invertebrates in its mouth that are fed to the brood. Such behavior is hypothesized to enhance the growth rate of the young and to reduce their susceptibility to predation.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/bf00377058