Reproductive behavior and parental roles of the cichlid fish Laetacara araguaiae

Abstract

We described the reproductive behavior of the small South American cichlid Laetacara araguaiae in streams from Brazil. We predicted that this species will show reproductive cooperation and division of labor between males and females in a similar way presented by other substrate-spawner cichlids. Thus, we studied 34 pairs in the pre-spawning (n = 11), egg/wriggler (n = 11) and fry (n = 12) phases. In the pre-spawning phase both sexes become involved in nest building and territorial defense, but females emphasizes building nest (p = 0.03), while males invest more time in territorial defense (p = 0.04). After spawning, male and female alternate between rearing eggs and defending nest in the territory. In the egg/wriggler phase females devotes more time rearing the brood while males remain defending territory (p = 0.02). These differences disappear when young are in the fry stage, and parents jointly stay closer to fry (p = 0.98). However, at this phase, there is a reduction in the frequency of threats shown by males (p<0.01) and an increase in the frequency of attacks shown by female (p<0.01) that could be a response to an increased demand for parental defense. Our results indicate that the reproductive cooperation between males and females of L. araguaiae is marked by division of labor in the early reproductive phases and by sharing of parental duties as brood develops.Descrevemos o comportamento reprodutivo do pequeno ciclídeo sul-americano Laetacara araguaiae em riachos do Brasil. Predizemos que essa espécie apresenta cooperação reprodutiva e divisão de trabalho entre machos e fêmeas, como ocorre em outras espécies de ciclídeos substrate-spawners. Assim, estudamos 34 casais nas fases pré-acasalamento (n = 11), ovo/larva (n = 11) e prole natante (n = 12). Na fase pré-acasalamento ambos os sexos envolvem-se na construção de ninhos e na defesa territorial, mas as fêmeas enfatizam a construção de ninho (p = 0,03), enquanto os machos investem mais na defesa do território (p = 0,04). Após a desova, machos e fêmeas alternam entre a manutenção dos ovos e a defesa do ninho. Na fase ovo/larva as fêmeas despendem mais tempo em atividades de manutenção da prole, enquanto os machos investem mais na defesa do território (p = 0,02). Essas diferenças desaparecem quando a prole atinge o estágio natante com ambos os pais permanecendo próximos aos filhotes (p = 0,98). Entretanto, há uma redução na frequência de ameaças emitidas pelos machos (p<0,01) e um aumento na frequência de ataques emitidos pelas fêmeas nessa fase (p<0,01), o que poderia ser uma resposta ao aumento da demanda por defesa da prole. Nossos resultados indicam que a cooperação reprodutiva entre machos e fêmeas de L. araguaiae é representada pela divisão de funções nas primeiras fases reprodutivas, seguida pelo compartilhamento de tarefas parentais à medida que a prole se desenvolve.

Social Behavior and Welfare in Nile Tilapia

“…Social behavior is defined as any kind of interaction between conspecifics, in such a way that it influences their immediate or future behavior [1]. In this conceptual framework, fish social behavior includes reproductive behavior, such as mating and courtship, cooperative interactions [2,3], shoaling [4], and social hierarchy, which is marked by aggressive interactions to reach a certain social rank and to defend territory, as well as environmental resources [5]. Social interaction, however, is not limited to conspecifics, but it can also occur among heterospecifics, such as in client-cleaner coral reef fishes, wherein a species cooperates by cleaning parasites off of another species, thus interacting between them [6,7].…”

Tácticas reproductivas para optimizan la supervivencia de la descendencia de Cichlasoma orientale (Perciformes: Cichlidae)

“…In Cichlidae, however, males tend to be larger than females (Garcia-Lizárraga et al, 2011, Araújo et al, 2012, possibly because larger males protect the offspring more efficiently, thereby ensuring greater reproductive success (Keenleyside, 1991). Likewise, while both parents of the cichlid species Laetacara araguaiae patrol the nest, the male displays more developed parental behaviors, especially in the premating stage and when guarding eggs and larvae (Teresa & Gonçalves-de-Freitas, 2011). Size also seems to make a significant difference in courtship.…”

Flash photography does not induce stress in the Ram cichlid Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (Myers & Harry, 1948) in aquaria

“…Aggressive interactions between the fish were recorded during the second week of the experiment with repeated flash exposure. Following Fernald and Hirata () and Teresa and Gonçalves‐de‐Freitas (), front threat with spread fins and lowered chin followed by mouth‐to‐mouth contact or as lateral attack by ramming with opened mouth were defined as aggressive interactions. For each aquarium, the number of aggressive interactions within 1 hr of observation was determined.…”