Filial cannibalism in a non-brood cycling marine fish

Synopsis Direct observation and the analysis of stomach contents indicate that custodial male Cortez damselfish, Stegastes rectifraenum, regularly eat some of the eggs they fertilize and guard. The pattern of forced starvation and brood cycling by custodial males that is seen in sticklebacks and other fishes for which filial cannibalism is known in the field does not exist for this species. These results indicate that filial cannibalism is likely to be more common among fishes than previously thought, because this behavior is not restricted to species that brood cycle.