Mouthbrooder

As mouthbrooders refers to fish, take for protection from enemies, the fertilized egg or the hatched fry in her mouth. Accordingly, a distinction ovophile ( "egg -loving " ) and Larvophile ( " larvae -loving " ) mouthbrooders. When maternal mouth brooding, the male takes the female in the paternal brood in its mouth on. In biparental mouth brooding both parents participate.

The Maulbrüten has the advantage that in case of threat, a rapid change of location to the scrim is possible, a way to not have the substrate spawners. Disadvantage is the smaller of space scrim. However, the reduction in the number of eggs means an energy saving, especially for the female fish.

In the sea the Maulbrüten is as a form of parental care much less common than in freshwater fish. All marine mouthbrooders are exclusively ovophil and no longer take care of the hatched fry. Numerous examples of mouthbrooders found among cichlids ( Cichlidae ), especially among the African Great Lakes (eg, Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika ) occurring species.

There are also mouth brooders at the following taxa:

• Osteoglossid ( Osteoglossidae )
• Cross catfish ( Ariidae )
• Labyrinth fish ( Anabantoidei )
• Snakeheads ( Channidae )
• Cardinal fish ( Apogonidae )
• Brunnenbauer ( Opistognathidae )
• Miracle perch ( Plesiopidae )

Also among the amphibians there is a mouth brooders. When Chilean Darwin nose frog ( Rhinoderma darwinii ) the eggs are first laid on land and guarded by the male. The hatching tadpoles are then picked up by the male in his throat pouch, there to complete the development.

Tanganyika bump head with hatched young fish in its mouth

Mouth brooding females of Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi (foreground)

Darwin - nose frog ( Rhinoderma darwinii )

Source

• Ellen Thaler: mouthbrooders in reef aquarium. CORAL, Meerwasseraquaristik trade magazine, No. 54 December / January 2008/2009, Nature and Animals Publisher Münster. ISSN 1439- 779x