Maintenance of Separate Territories for Mating and Feeding by Males of a Maternal Mouthbrooding Cichlid, Gnathochromis pfefferi, in Lake Tanganyika

Abstract

Territorial behavior, feeding habits and breeding behavior of a mouthbrooding cichlid fish, Gnathochromis pfefferi, were investigated in the northwestern part of Lake Tanganyika. Males defended feeding territories against conspecifics and females had overlapping foraging areas. Both males and females fed exclusively on shrimps. Males also defended mating territories separately from feeding territories. Males' feeding territories were established over the substrate of sand, pebbles and rocks, while their mating territories were congregated in and near the vegetated patches. The feeding territory was near or adjacent to the mating territory in some cases, but was 80 to 130m away in others. In the morning males patrolled the whole mating territory to find and mate with females, but in the afternoon they foraged in their feeding territories. Males did not prepare nests for mating, unlike many other maternal mouthbrood-ers with mating territories. After spawning, mouthbrooding females lurked in or near the vegetated patches. Each male returned to the same mating territory every morning for several months, in spite of competition for mating sites. The long-term occupation of territories suggests that territorial ownership is recognized by competitors while the owner is absent.