ROMANTIC MALE FISH BUILD SANDCASTLES TO IMPRESS FEMALES

 

A certain type of male fish that builds sandcastles to impress females and warn off rivals has provided an important clue about the evolution of new species.

 

Cichlid fish, which live in Lake Malawi, East Africa, build the structures, known as bowers, once or twice a year so they have a place to mate.

 

There are 200 species of sandcastle-building cichlid fish and each creates a differently shaped bower, which they then defend in a bid to attract suitable partners.

 

British researchers from the University of Hull and the University of Nottingham have discovered that the exact shape of the bowers determines how many fights the male fish have with nearby rivals.

 

MORE ABOUT THE CICHLID FISH

All species of cichlid fish care for their eggs and larvae and often nurture their free-swimming young until they are weeks or months old.

Communal parental care has been seen in some groups.

Some species lay their eggs in the open on rocks or bowers and the males usually patrol the couple's territory to repel intruders, while the females fan water over the eggs.

Some secretive species lay their eggs in caves, holes and even discarded snail shells, while 'ovophile mouthbrooders' incubate their eggs in their mouths as soon as they are laid.

'Larvophile mouthbrooders' lay eggs in the open or in a cave but keep the hatched larvae safe in their mouths. This method of keeping larvae safe appears to have evolved independently in several groups of African cichlids.

Read more, see pictures and video - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2519516/How-male-fish-build-specially-shaped-sandcastles-impress-females--ward-unwelcome-love-rivals.html

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