| Main Ref. | Trewavas, E., 1983 |
| Mode | dioecism |
| Fertilization | in mouth |
| Mating type | |
| Spawning frequency | one clear seasonal peak per year |
| Spawning aggregation | Ref. |
| Batch spawner | Ref. |
| Reproductive guild |
bearers External brooders |
| Parental Care | |
| Description of life cycle and mating behavior | A maternal mouthbrooder; males defend territories from shallow water down to at least 28m; males dig pits, which are sometimes huge craters with a small raised platform of fine sand (Ref. 118638). Breeding period extends over several months as noted in Lake Malombe, at present one of the main breeding areas for this species (Ref. 6150). Males build nests on a variety of substrata and at depths of 0.5m to at least 28m; nests generally 0.3-1.9m diameter, with dimensions correlated to male size (Ref. 55079). Nest with a characteristic spawning cone in its center (Ref. 5595). Courtship appears to occur mainly in the early morning (Ref. 40193, 55079), and consist of leading, followed by tilting and head-down quivering if the female follows the male to the nest (Ref. 40193). A female with 324 young of 15mm long in the mouth has been caught (Ref. 2781). Females keep guarding their fry until they are about 24 mm (Ref. 2781, 6150). |
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