Produção Nacional
Comportamento reprodutivo do acará bandeira, Pterophyllum scalare Cuvier & Valenciennes (Osteichthyes, Cichlidae)
1999; Sociedade Brasileira de Zoologia; Volume: 16; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1590/s0101-81751999000300006
ISSN1806-969X
AutoresMaria do Socorro R. F. Cacho, Maria Emília Yamamoto, Sathyabama Chellappa,
Tópico(s)Fish Ecology and Management Studies
ResumoReproductive behaviour of Pteroplly/lulII sca/are Cuvier & Valenciennes (Osteichthyes, Cichlidae).Acará bandeira, Pterophy/lllm sca/are Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1831 is a Neotropical cichlid fish, which has not been sludied under a scientific approach.The objective of this work was to identi!)' and describe the reproductive behaviour involved in lhe various phases of its reproductive cycle, such as territorial disputes and its establishment, substrate selection for spawning, courtship and mating, selection of mate and parentaI care.Twenty males and ten females of the study species were observed in lhe laboratory, over a period ofsix conseculive months.Behaviour descriptions resulting from these observalions were analysed and the results show that the reproduclive males are very agressive in lhe initial phase ofreproduction.Agressiveness is a constant variable in encounters between territorial fishes, and possession of territory is of fundamental importance for reproduction of this species.Males with established territories were those which very successful in atracting the females during courtship.The seleclion 01' lhe females were intluenced by the possession ofterritory, the type ofsubslrate available for spawning and lhe body size.The fish preferred aquatic plants with broad leaves as an adequate substrate for spawning.It was observed that there was a shOlt-term biparental care, before the eggs halched, during which period lhe males played an impoltant role in prolecting them.AfieI' lhe eggs halched, the male continued to prolect lhe halchling in his 1110Ulh, bul played a lesser role, possibly to seek other females for mating so as to increase his reproductive output.Seleclion of a good mate by the female and the high degree of parental care were the faclors which influence lhe reproduclive success of lhe study species.
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