Paternal mouthbrooding bagrid catfishes in Lake Tanganyika |
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Authors: | Haruki Ochi Andrew Rossiter Yasunobu Yanagisawa |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology and Earth Sciences, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan (e-mail: HO, nyami2@arion.ocn.ne.jp; YY, yyana@sci.ehime-u.ac.jp), JP;(2) International Lake Studies, Lake Biwa Museum, 1091 Oroshimo, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-0001, Japan (e-mail: rossiter@lbm.go.jp), JP |
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Abstract: | This article gives the first information about paternal mouthbrooding in bagrid catfishes, based on analysis of specimens
collected while SCUBA diving in Lake Tanganyika, Africa. Lophiobagrus aquilus and L. cyclurus, endemic to the lake, were nocturnally active, and in the daytime were found concealed singly or in pairs beneath rocks.
Among 39 L. aquilus and 52 L. cyclurus collected, 8 and 1 solitary males, respectively, were incubating eggs or young in the buccal cavity. Paired males and females
and solitary females never took care of the offspring. In both species, females of pairs showed much higher gonadosomatic
index values and had larger oocytes in the ovaries than did solitary females. This fact suggests that pair formation takes
place at a time near the gonadal maturation of the female and that the pair separate after spawning. We tentatively propose
an evolutionary transition route of care patterns in bagrid catfishes.
Received: January 25, 2002 / Revised: April 13, 2002 / Accepted: April 17, 2002 |
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Keywords: | Paternal mouthbrooding Parental care Lophiobagrus Bagridae Lake Tanganyika |
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