But mouthbrooding cichlids are still attentive parents, says ichthyologist Prosanta Chakrabarty, curator of fishes at the Museum of Natural Science at Louisiana State University.

Mouthbrooding also can be a high-stress time for female cichlids, and a prior study of A. burtoni, published in 2020 in the open-access journal Genes, Brain and Behavior, found that high-stress ...

Also, mouthbrooding cichlids have egg sizes that span a much larger range than the substrate spawning cichlids, allowing one to investigate for trends over a larger range of egg sizes in cichlids.

Some cichlid fish mothers snack on their own offspring to ensure their own survival. New research suggests that the mothers can boost their chemical defences by using antioxidants found in their own ...

As the mother cichlid is heavily burdened by mouthbrooding, consuming some — but not all — of her babies helps maintain her health and ensure she will have more children in the future.

Mouthbrooding forms a significant component of the reproductive strategy in most species. The male picks up the fertilized eggs that the female cichlid releases by taking them in his mouth.

More information: Cheng-Yu Li et al, A pheromone receptor in cichlid fish mediates attraction to females but inhibits male parental care, Current Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.029 ...

One-week-old cuckoo catfish, growing rapidly when feeding on host offspring. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the 02 May 2018, issue of Science Advances, published by AAAS. The ...

Cuckoo catfish intrudes spawning ritual of their natural cichlid hosts, Simochromis diagramma. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the 02 May 2018, issue of <i>Science Advances</i ...

Mouthbrooding cichlids protect their young by keeping them safe in their mouths until they’re ready. Photo Credit: Pexels ...