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Mouthbrooder
Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a variety of different animals, such as the Darwin's frog, fish are by far the most diverse mouthbrooders. Mouthbrooding has evolved independently in several different families of fish. Mouthbrooding behaviour Paternal mouthbrooders are species where the male looks after the eggs. Paternal mouthbrooders include the arowana, various mouthbrooding bettas and gouramies such as '' Betta pugnax'', and sea catfish such as ''Ariopsis felis''. Among cichlids, paternal mouthbrooding is relatively rare, but is found among some of the tilapiines, most notably the black-chin tilapia ''Sarotherodon melanotheron''. In the case of the maternal mouthbrooders, the female takes the eggs. Maternal mouthbrooders are found among both African and South America ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cichlid
Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this grouping. The closest living relative of cichlids is probably the convict blenny, and both families are classified in the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' as the two families in the Cichliformes, part of the subseries Ovalentaria. This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,650 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families. New species are discovered annually, and many species remain undescribed. The actual number of species is therefore unknown, with estimates varying between 2,000 and 3,000. Many cichlids, particularly tilapia, are important food fishes, while others, such as the ''Cichla'' species, are valued game fish. The family also includes many popular freshwater ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cichlidae
Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this grouping. The closest living relative of cichlids is probably the convict blenny, and both families are classified in the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' as the two families in the Cichliformes, part of the subseries Ovalentaria. This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,650 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families. New species are discovered annually, and many species remain undescribed. The actual number of species is therefore unknown, with estimates varying between 2,000 and 3,000. Many cichlids, particularly tilapia, are important food fishes, while others, such as the ''Cichla'' species, are valued game fish. The family also includes many popular freshwater aquar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darwin's Frog
Darwin’s frog (''Rhinoderma darwinii''), also called the Southern Darwin's frog, is a species of Chilean/Argentinian frog of the family Rhinodermatidae. It was discovered by Charles Darwin during his voyage on voyage on HMS ''Beagle''. on a trip to Chile. In 1841, French zoologist André Marie Constant Duméril and his assistant Gabriel Bibron described and named Darwin's frog. The diet of ''R. darwinii'' consists mostly of herbivore invertebrates. R. ''darwinii'' is currently classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Darwin’s frog is most known for its unique method of brooding. The male will facilitate development of its tadpoles inside its vocal sac. This male brooding makes Darwin’s frog distinct from other frog species (as the only other frog that has this behavior is the ''R.'' ''rufum'', which may be extinct). Characteristics Size Darwin's frog is a small species with a snout–to–vent length of . The snou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ariidae
The Ariidae or ariid catfish are a family of catfish that mainly live in marine waters with many freshwater and brackish water species. They are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones. The family includes about 143 species. Taxonomy The relationships of this family are not yet clear. Two of the genera, '' Gogo'' and '' Ancharius'', have been moved to a separate family called Anchariidae. The Ariidae are divided into three subfamilies: '' Galeichthys'' is the only genus classified in the subfamily Galeichthyinae and similarly '' Bagre'' is the only genus in the subfamily Bagreinae, while the rest of the genera are classified in the subfamily Ariinae. Previously, the family Ariidae has been grouped in the superfamily Doradoidea, but then it was moved into Bagroidea (along with Austroglanididae, Claroteidae, Schilbeidae, Pangasiidae, Bagridae, Malapteruridae, and Pimelodidae. It has also been classified in a superfamily Arioidea containing Ariidae and Anchariidae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ariopsis Felis
The hardhead catfish (''Ariopsis felis'') is a species of sea catfish from the northwest Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, and similar to the gafftopsail catfish (''Bagre marinus''). It is one of four species in the genus '' Ariopsis''. The common name, hardhead catfish, is derived from the presence of a hard, bony plate extending rearward toward the dorsal fin from a line between the catfish's eyes.Webster, Pearse. Hardhead Catfish. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. http://www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/Hardheadcatfish.pdf It is an elongated marine catfish that reaches up to in length and in weight. Their typical weight is less than , but they commonly reach up to . They are often a dirty gray color on top, with white undersides. Habits, distribution, and characteristics Hardhead catfish are found mostly in the near-shore waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean, around the southeast coast of the United States, around the Florida Keys and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tilapiines
The Tilapiini (occasionally Tilapini) are a tribe within the family Cichlidae commonly known as tilapiine cichlids. Formerly this tribe contained many other genera and species, including the economically important ''Oreochromis'' and ''Sarotherodon'', but a taxonomic review found that this grouping was paraphyletic and most were moved to Coelotilapini, Coptodonini, Heterotilapini, Oreochromini and Pelmatolapiini. Together, most species in these tribes are called "tilapias". In a more distant past, a number of other, more different genera like ''Steatocranus'' also were included in Tilapiini. With these as separate, Tilapiini now is a much more restricted tribe with only three genera and about half a dozen species from Central and Southern Africa. Systematics The tilapiines were recognised by the ichthyologist Ethylwynn Trewavas mtDNA-based phylogenies of tilapiines must be evaluated with caution, however, as they are usually close to, but do not represent the true evolut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asian Arowana
The Asian arowana (''Scleropages formosus'') comprises several phenotypic varieties of freshwater fish distributed geographically across Southeast Asia. While most consider the different varieties to belong to a single species, work by Pouyaud ''et al.'' (2003) differentiates these varieties into multiple species. They have several other common names, including Asian bonytongue, dragonfish, and a number of names specific to the different color varieties. Native to Southeast Asia, Asian arowanas inhabit blackwater rivers, slow-moving waters flowing through forested swamps and wetlands. Adults feed on other fish, while juveniles feed on insects. These popular aquarium fish have special cultural significance in areas influenced by Chinese culture. The name 'dragonfish' stems from their resemblance to the Chinese dragon. This popularity has had both positive and negative effects on their status as endangered species. Evolution and taxonomy Like all members of the Osteoglossid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synodontis Multipunctatus
''Synodontis multipunctatus'', also known as the cuckoo catfish, cuckoo squeaker, or multipunk, is a small catfish from Lake Tanganyika, one of the lakes in the Great Rift Valley system in Africa. It is a brood parasite upon mouthbrooding cichlids. This species grows to a length of TL. This species is a minor component of local commercial fisheries. General ''Synodontis multipunctatus'' is one of a number of species of upside-down catfish in Lake Tanganyika, which is more famous for its cichlids. It gathers in large schools at depths of about in the lake. ''S. multipunctatus'' is notable for its breeding behaviour - it is a brood parasite, similar to the cuckoo from which it takes its common name. Lake Tanganyika is home to a number of mouthbrooding cichlids, which care for their eggs and young by carrying them in their mouth. ''S. multipunctatus'' uses these, particularly '' Ctenochromis horei'' and ''Simochromis babaulti'', as unwitting caretakers for their children. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brood Parasite
Brood parasites are animals that rely on others to raise their young. The strategy appears among birds, insects and fish. The brood parasite manipulates a host, either of the same or of another species, to raise its young as if it were its own, usually using egg mimicry, with eggs that resemble the host's. The evolutionary strategy relieves the parasitic parents from the investment of rearing young. This benefit comes at the cost of provoking an evolutionary arms race between parasite and host as they coevolve: many hosts have developed strong defenses against brood parasitism, such as recognizing and ejecting parasitic eggs, or abandoning parasitized nests and starting over. It is less obvious why most hosts do care for parasite nestlings, given that for example cuckoo chicks differ markedly from host chicks in size and appearance. One explanation, the mafia hypothesis, proposes that parasitic adults retaliate by destroying host nests where rejection has occurred; th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apogonidae
Cardinalfishes are a family, Apogonidae, of ray-finned fishes found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans; they are chiefly marine, but some species are found in brackish water and a few (notably ''Glossamia'') are found in fresh water. A handful of species are kept in the aquarium and are popular as small, peaceful, and colourful fish. The family includes about 370 species. They are generally small fish, with most species being less than , and are often brightly coloured. They are distinguished by their large mouths, and the division of the dorsal fin into two separate fins. Most species live in tropical or subtropical waters, where they inhabit coral reefs and lagoons. They are nocturnal, spending the day in dark crevices within the reef. At least some species brood their eggs inside the mouths of the males. Males do not feed during this incubation period. Males incubate the eggs in their mouth due to having longer heads and a larger jaw, which females do not acquire.Hoey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyphotilapia Frontosa Mouthbrooding
''Cyphotilapia'' is a small genus of African cichlids endemism, endemic to Lake Tanganyika, with ''C. frontosa'' being roughly confined to the northern half of the lake and ''C. gibberosa'' roughly to the southern half.Takahashi, T. and K. Nakaya (2003). New species of Cyphotilapia (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika, Africa. Copeia 2003(4): 824-832. They have a distinctly banded pattern, bulbous foreheads when mature and can reach up to in length. These are a mouth-brooding cichlid with a rather small batch of fry each spawn. The mother will hold the fry in her mouth for about 3–4 weeks before finally releasing about 30-70 fry. These are slow-growing fish, which take up to 6 years to reach sexual maturity. They can live for up to 25 years. Species There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * ''Cyphotilapia frontosa'' (George Albert Boulenger, Boulenger, 1906) (Humphead cichlid) * ''Cyphotilapia gibberosa'' Tetsumi Takahashi, T. Takahashi & Kazuhiro N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bagridae
The Bagridae are a family of catfish that are native to Africa (''Bagrus'') and Asia (all other genera) from Japan to Borneo. It includes about 245 species. These fish are commonly known as naked catfishes or bagrid catfishes. Many large bagrids are important as a source of food. Some species are also kept as aquarium fishes. Physical characteristics The dorsal fin is preceded by a spine. The adipose fin is present and can have a relatively long base in some species. The pectoral fin spine can be serrated. The body is completely naked (they have no scales). The maximum length is about . Fishes of the family Bagridae have four pairs of well-developed barbels covered by a layer of taste bud-enriched epithelium. Taxonomy The taxonomy of this family has changed rapidly. Nelson (2006) comments how "the family is very different from that recognized in Nelson (1994)". Claroteidae and Austroglanididae contain species that were previously bagrids. Auchenoglanididae is considered by som ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_e_(_Zonotrichia_Capensis_).jpg "Click for more on -> Brood Parasite")