Spawning and parental care in the pink variety of Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum (Gunther) was studied from September 1970 to May 1971. The objectives of the study were to determine: (1) the spawning behavior of C. nigrofasciatum when isolated as pairs; (2) the spawning behavior of a pair when sharing an aquarium with other cichlid species. The study was conducted in two parts.In Part 1 three aquaria were set up, each containing a pair of sexually mature pink convicts. Twelve different pairs were observed over a period of 120 days. Pre-spawning and post-spawning activities were noted. These were recorded in a pictograph form developed by the author. Eight of these activities were observed in the pre-spawning period and 46 were observed during the days following spawning. The interactions between the members of any one pair differed very little from the interactions of any other pair.One spawning was observed from start to finish and every egg placement was recorded. The eggs appeared to be deposited in an irregular pattern, but form a relatively compact mass when the spawning is completed. When a pair is isolated the female cares for both the eggs and the wigglers. The male takes an active role in the care of the fry when they are just starting to swim. The male becomes the more ardent parent once the fry are free swimming and spends much of his time keeping the female in close proximity to the young.In Part 2 the presence of other fishes in the aquarium changed the male's behavior appreciably. He became much more involved in the early post-spawning stages, actively involved in the defense of the eggs and wigglers. These changes were not limited to the male; the female's behavior also changed. She was a much more conscientious parent in the later stages of fry care. The male spent very little time driving the female toward the fry. Both parents became more attentive in Part 2.Six aquaria were used in Part 2. This section placed the pink convicts in aquaria with six other species. The interspecific activity was the prime observation. All of the species observed acted alike. The spawning of several of the species was observed, as was the activity of caring for the young of a different species. The most notable observation here was the similarity of behavior of the cichlids representing three different genera.In both parts all pairs spawned in or on a flowerpot provided. The egg and fry care was almost the same for all of the fishes. The interspecific interactions were as intense as most of the intraspecific. The level of intensity observed declined in the following order: (1) same sex same species; (2) same sex related species; (3) different sex same species; and (4) different sex different species.All of the species in Part 2 that spawned used the same behavioral displays used by the convicts in Part 1. All display with lateral weaving, erected fins, flared opercula, and lowered branchiostegals. All of the spawning pairs attempted to occupy a large territory, but none insisted on more than 5t of their spawning tank. Generally the pairs observed in this study established pair bonds and spawned within two weeks of their introduction to the aquarium.The pink convict lends itself well to this kind of behavioral study because it is a hardy, easy to spawn species large enough to observe easily. They tolerate laboratory conditions very well. The pink variety of C. nigrofasciatum is much less aggressive and more attractive than the native variety.

Submitted by Alberto Vieira (martins_vieira@ibest.com.br) on 2018-01-18T19:58:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 543132.pdf: 12095005 bytes, checksum: ca206c67012aa776f41ea14cb667fb2f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-18T19:58:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 543132.pdf: 12095005 bytes, checksum: ca206c67012aa776f41ea14cb667fb2f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2001-06-04 / CAPES / As relações filogenéticas entre o complexo de espécies "Cichlasoma" facetum e clados da tribo Heroini, subfamília Cichlasomatinae, incluindo táxons das Américas do Norte e Central, são examinadas. A análise é baseada, exclusivamente, na morfo-osteologia de vinte e uma espécies e inclui cinco caracteres inéditos; os demais são retirados do estudo filogenético mais recente de KULLANDER (1998) e de estudos anteriores, totalizando vinte e nove caracteres em dezessete táxons terminais. De cinco cladogramas igualmente mais parcimoniosos (número de passos 84; índice de consistência 51; índice de retenção 59 e índice de consistência reescalonado 30), é obtida a árvore de consenso estrito com a seguinte topologia: (((Mesonauta + Pterophyllum) (Heros (Symphysodon + Uaru))) (("Cichlasoma" meeki + "C." nigrofasciatum) ((Complexo de espécies "C." facetum) (Hypselecara (("C." atromaculatum, "C." citrinellus) ("C." octofasciatum (Caquetaia + Petenia))))))). O monofiletismo da tribo Heroini, como proposto por KULLANDER (op. cit.), é corroborado pelos estados apomórficos de caracteres relacionados à nadadeira anal. O monofiletismo do complexo de espécies "C." facetum é sustentado por duas condições apomórficas inéditas. A presente hipótese filogenética difere da mais recente, proposta por KULLANDER (op. cit.) para ciclídeos neotropicais através de estudos osteológicos, miológicos e nevrálgicos. / The phylogenetic relationships between the "Cichlasoma" facetum species complex and clades of the tribe Heroini, subfamily Cichlasomatinae, including taxa of Central and North America, are examined. The analysis is uniquely based on morpho-osteology of twenty-one species and includes five unpublished characters; the others are taken from KULLANDER 's phylogenetic study (1998) and previous studies, in a total of twenty-nine characters in seventeen terminal taxa. From the five equally most parsimonius cladograms (length 84; consistency index 51; retention index 59 and rescaled consistency index 30), one obtains the tree of strict consensus with the following topology: (((Mesonauta + Pterophyllum) (Heros (Symphysodon + Uaru))) (("Cichlasoma" meeki + "C." nigrofasciatum) (("C." facetum species complex) (Hypselecara (("C." atromaculatum, "C." citrinellus) ("C." octofasciatum (Caquetaia + Petenia))))))). The monophyly of the tribe Heroini as proposed by KULLANDER (op. cit.) is corroborated by the apomorphic states of the characters related to the anal fin. The monophyly of the "C." facetum species complex is supported by two unpublished apomorphic conditions. The present phylogenetic hypothesis differs from the most recent one, proposed by KULLANDER (op. cit.) for the neotropical cichlids through nevralgic, miologic and osteologic studies.

Invasive species have caused billions of dollars in damages to their introduced environment through direct effects on wildlife and by altering their introduced habitats. For a species to be considered invasive, it must successfully navigate the stages of invasion: it must be introduced, become established, spread, and have a quantifiable impact on its introduced environment. The numbers of introductions and individuals released affects the genetic diversity of nonnative populations which, in turn, can affect their invasion success. The Mayan Cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus) is endemic to the Atlantic coast of Mexico and Central America. It was first detected in the United States in 1983 in Everglades National Park. Since then, it has spread across more than 70,000 hectares throughout southern and central Florida. I have established the Mayan Cichlid to be a successful invader in Florida by quantifying per capita negative impacts of Mayan Cichlids on densities of Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus), Marsh Killifish (Fundulus confluentus), and Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) over a 15-year period. I also analyzed the role of genetics in the invasion success of the Mayan Cichlid. I used a mitochondrial gene, cytochrome b, and 17 microsatellite loci to identify the sources for the Mayan Cichlid introduction into Florida. Cytochrome b data supported an introduction from Guatemala; microsatellite data suggested movement of Mayan Cichlids from the upper Yucatán Peninsula to Guatemala and introductions from Guatemala and Belize to Florida. I also found evidence of cytonuclear disequilibrium together with low genetic diversity within the Florida population which indicate a population bottleneck and admixture between two distinct lineages upon introduction, followed by rapid spread resulting in a panmictic population genetically distinct from the native range populations. I found much less genetic structure and a weaker correlation between genetic diversity and geographic distance within Florida compared with Mexico and Central America. Low number of effective alleles, heterozygosities, and FST values and the genetic similarity of Florida sites also indicate an admixed population or one that has rapidly expanded from a small initial group.