Intraspecific brood adoption in the convict cichlid with respect to fry oftwo colour morphs

Convict cichlid Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum adults of the melanistic morph us ually accepted fry of the same colour morph provided these were of approxim ately the same age and size as those of the receiver pair, whereas older an d considerably younger fry were rejected or eaten. Xanthoric fry were usual ly accepted and rejected to the same extent as fry of their own colour morp h. However, in certain combinations, especially when alien fry were 3 weeks old and the adopting parents already had their own 2 week old fry, fry of their own colour morph were significantly more likely to be adopted. (C) 20 01 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.