Observations and evolutionary considerations on trophic egg provisioning in snakeheads (Teleostei: Channidae)

Abstract

<p><br></p><p>The provisioning of trophic eggs is exceedingly rare in fish, with only a single example of a species exhibiting this behaviour reported in the scientific literature: the Lake Malawi catfish <em>Bagrus meridionalis</em>. However, observations in captivity suggest that the behaviour is widespread and likely universal among all species within the most species-rich lineage of <em>Channa</em>. The evolution of trophic eggs could have led to the large adaptive radiation found in the <em>C. gachua</em> Group, which comprises almost half of the species diversity within the genus.</p>