O-Fish-ial Fun Fact Thursday — 30 August 2018

Graham Traas
Aug 31, 2018 · 2 min read

Hello, and welcome to O-Fish-ial Fun Fact Thursday. This month is feminist fish month!!

Today we’ll be looking at the daffodil cichlid, or for fancy people, Neolamprologus pulcher.

Very pretty

How big does it get?

Daffodil cichlids can get to 7.2cm in length.

Where can I find it?

The southern parts of Lake Tanganyika.

What does it eat?

Zooplankton, small crustaceans and invertebrates.

What makes it interesting?

  • Daffodil cichlids mate for life, which is unusual in the fish world.
  • The daffodil cichlid has a community structure referred to as co-operative polyandry. This means that the community is structured such that there is a dominant male and female, and the lesser males and females help with the chores. If the dominant female is unhappy with the dedication of one of the lesser members, she will chase the offender out of the community.
They are pretty, though
  • Interestingly, a female’s egg diameter reduces in size as the number of helpers increases, which, in essence, means that with a larger number of helpers, the female can reduce the investment of energy into egg production, thus increasing her overall health.
  • Helpers are a mixture of related and unrelated individuals. It has been found that related helpers are far more helpful than unrelated helpers, especially when caring for the young.
  • Females are dominant, and will not be challenged. Dominant males can be challenged by other males. Dominance is determined by size.
  • Females are also not that loyal to their partners. Up to 44% of the offspring have been found to be fathered by non-dominant males. It seems that the daffodil cichlid females like a bit of action on the side. Males, however have been found to be 100% loyal to the dominant female.
  • Daffodil cichlids are incredibly territorial. Helpers are required, and expected, to help with maintaining the territory. Because of this territoriality, they are not ideal for multiple species aquariums.

Written by

Ex-ichthyologist offering weekly fish facts to a (supposedly) admiring public.

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