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Ovophilic vs. Larvophilic
Dear Neil,
Some Benitochromis species are ovophilic, while others are larvophilic. Some are immediate, while others are delayed. I've also observed some parents passing their eggs from one to the other at varying intervals.
Benitochromis ufermanni (formally Chromidotilapia sp. "Mondemba" are supposed to be immediate maternal ovophilic mouthbrooders, but my females tend to deposit their eggs on a piece of slate at substrate level or on a piece of wood 1-2 inches above substrate level and leave them there for an hour or more before taking them into their mouths. I've also seen males of this particular species picking up the eggs first and then passing them to the females.
Linke & Staeck notwithstanding, as for the Makondo fish, I don't actually know if they are ovophilic or larvophilic because my specimens don't seem to like peeping Toms. Nor do they read. Believe me, I've pressed the book up the aquarium several times, but they just don't seem to get it.
From what I've read and experienced personally, it seems that at least some Benitochromis and/or Chromidotilapia species may be in a transitional stage of mouthbrooding, presumably having started out as substrate spawners, and are simply not quite completely there yet. Contrast this capricious spawning behavior to the geophaginii of South America. Female "Geophagus" steindachneri, for example, pick up their eggs immediately after the male fertilizes them, and there they stay until which time the fry are free swimming and are released to feed. In comparison to our Benitochromis/Chromidotilapia species, this method of reproduction seems far more cut and dry and, perhaps, advanced.
Thank you.
Randall Kohn
Dear Neil,
Some Benitochromis species are ovophilic, while others are larvophilic. Some are immediate, while others are delayed. I've also observed some parents passing their eggs from one to the other at varying intervals.
Benitochromis ufermanni (formally Chromidotilapia sp. "Mondemba" are supposed to be immediate maternal ovophilic mouthbrooders, but my females tend to deposit their eggs on a piece of slate at substrate level or on a piece of wood 1-2 inches above substrate level and leave them there for an hour or more before taking them into their mouths. I've also seen males of this particular species picking up the eggs first and then passing them to the females.
Linke & Staeck notwithstanding, as for the Makondo fish, I don't actually know if they are ovophilic or larvophilic because my specimens don't seem to like peeping Toms. Nor do they read. Believe me, I've pressed the book up the aquarium several times, but they just don't seem to get it.
From what I've read and experienced personally, it seems that at least some Benitochromis and/or Chromidotilapia species may be in a transitional stage of mouthbrooding, presumably having started out as substrate spawners, and are simply not quite completely there yet. Contrast this capricious spawning behavior to the geophaginii of South America. Female "Geophagus" steindachneri, for example, pick up their eggs immediately after the male fertilizes them, and there they stay until which time the fry are free swimming and are released to feed. In comparison to our Benitochromis/Chromidotilapia species, this method of reproduction seems far more cut and dry and, perhaps, advanced.
Thank you.
Randall Kohn