| Main Ref. | Mills, D. and G. Vevers, 1989 |
| Mode | dioecism |
| Fertilization | in mouth |
| Mating type | monogamy: |
| Spawning frequency | |
| Spawning aggregation | Ref. |
| Batch spawner | Ref. |
| Reproductive guild |
bearers external brooders |
| Parental Care | maternal |
| Description of life cycle and mating behavior | Female lays only a few eggs. Female collects eggs up into her mouth before they sink to the bottom and then moves to the genital area of the male. There the sperm are shed and taken into the mouth of the female where fertilization takes place. Eggs hatch after about 4 weeks of incubation (Ref. 7020). Produces 5-17 eggs (Ref. 1672). In one study, eggs from the cleavage phase and larvae of up to 1.45 cm TL are mouthbrooded by female parents ranging from 6.2 to 7.9 cm SL long (Ref. 86760). |
| Search for more references on reproduction | Scirus |