Group foraging by the herbivorous cichlid fish,Petrochromis fasciolatus,in Lake Tanganyika

Group foraging of the algae eating cichlid,Petrochromis fasciolatus, was studied along a rocky shore in Lake Tanganyika, in an area occupied by the feeding territories of several herbivorous cichlid species. SolitaryP. fasciolatus or schools comprising a few members only were nearly always repelled from such territories, although larger schools (40–250 individuals) ofP. fasciolatus were able to overwhelm the defenses of territory owners and enable subsequent foraging. The frequency and duration of individual foraging sessions on the algal mats were positively correlated with group size, probably owing to individuals in large schools suffering fewer attacks from territory owners. Almost all of the foraging sites ofP. fasciolatus were inside the territories of other herbivorous cichlids, especially those ofNeolamprologus moorii (more than 80% of total), in which the algal density was more than 10 times that in territories of the other species.N. moorii territories included only 4% rocky substrate, indicating that schools ofP. fasciolatus selectively chose territories containing rich resources.