Cyrtocara

Abstract: About 50% of African cichlid species have been described. Little is known about cichlid ecology, behaviour or about the evolution and interactions of communities. Nevertheless, trends which provide an insight into cichlid life histories, into evolutionary alternatives and into behavioural alternatives which may be followed during the life time of these fishes are emerging. Cichlids which spend their entire life history in a single habitat belong to species flocks that have spectated greatly. In contrast, those groups which live in a variety of habitats during their life history have spectated little. Despite the trophic specializations that have occurred among cichlids, many and perhaps all species, have the ability to feed upon alternative food resources. They do so by switching or by markedly modifying their behaviour and all are particularly opportunistic. The extensive adaptive radiation of cichlids with regard to those attributes of morphology and behaviour that are associated with survival and growth, is apparently not matched by similar radiations in reproductive behaviour. The perceived evolutionary conservatism with regard to reproductive behaviour is attributed to the effects of stabilizing selection, but this still needs to be tested. The constraints of stabilizing selection appear to be lifted with regard to coloration. If colour is an important component of the specific-mate recognition system then it should also be subjected to stabilizing selection so the readiness with which colour variation occurs within and between populations needs explanation. Parental care in cichlids has followed a variety of evolutionary alternatives, all of which are geared to improve the chances of survival of offspring in their specific micro-habitats.

Abstract: Haplochromis (=Cyrtocara) livingstoni, one of the predatory cichlids of the sand community of Lake Malawi, Africa, occurs at a density of 1.3 individuals per hectare. They are territorial, defending areas 15 m wide by 40 m long along the interface of sand andVallisneria weed beds. Individuals use a ‘death feigning’ hunting pattern to capture prey. From a position of lying on their sides semiburied in the sand, these fish attack small cichlids. During four hours of SCUBA observations three successful attacks from this position were seen. After an attack the small cichlids scatter and the predator moves on toward a new aggregation of fish where it again plays dead. Individuals feign death an average of seven times per thirty minutes watch. Death feigning behavior is initiated in two ways. The fish either 1) is stationary with its ventral surface on or close to the sand, and then falls onto its side, or 2) drops from the water colum into `lying on side' position. The initial behavioral actions of the latter method are similar to chafing behavior. But instead of chafing the sand and rising again off the bottom, the fish plows into the sand and remains immobile. These data further add to the evidence that cichlids are remarkably flexible in their feeding behavior.

Abstract: East African cichlid fishes represent a model to tackle adaptive changes and their connection to rapid speciation and ecological distinction. In comparison to bony craniofacial tissues, adaptive morphogenesis of soft tissues has been rarely addressed, particularly at the molecular level. The nuchal hump in cichlids fishes is one such soft-tissue and exaggerated trait that is hypothesized to play an innovative role in the adaptive radiation of cichlids fishes. It has also evolved in parallel across lakes in East Africa and Central America. Using gene expression profiling, we identified and validated a set of genes involved in nuchal hump formation in the Lake Malawi dolphin cichlid, Cyrtocara moorii. In particular, we found genes differentially expressed in the nuchal hump, which are involved in controlling cell proliferation (btg3, fosl1a and pdgfrb), cell growth (dlk1), craniofacial morphogenesis (dlx5a, mycn and tcf12), as well as regulators of growth-related signals (dpt, pappa and socs2). This is the first study to identify the set of genes associated with nuchal hump formation in cichlids. Given that the hump is a trait that evolved repeatedly in several African and American cichlid lineages, it would be interesting to see if the molecular pathways and genes triggering hump formation follow a common genetic track or if the trait evolved in parallel, with distinct mechanisms, in other cichlid adaptive radiations and even in other teleost fishes.