parental care in fishes is very important role in survival of young ones.the important parental care methods included in this slide,and this slide also contain which are the fishes showing parental cares.

2.  The most interesting habits of fishes is their
parental behavior in guarding the eggs and caring the
young ones.
In Chondrichthyes, young ones hatch out in a fully
developed condition. But, in Osteichthyes larvae
hatch out from eggs and then metamorphose to
young adults.
 In most cases these larvae are quite numerous and
so chance will favor at least few of them to tide over
adverse condition.
About fishes..

3. In guarding the eggs and nursing the
young ones, the parents employ
different methods. Few of those
methods are listed below..
Carrying the eggs on the body.
Keeping the eggs in brood chambers
Nest and nursery building.
Coiling round the eggs.
Keeping the eggs in safe shelters.
Keeping the eggs in egg capsules.
Oviposition.
Ovoviviparity.

4. NEST AND NURSERY BUILDING
 Nest building is the commonest method adopted by fishes to protect their eggs and
young ones.
 It is exhibited mostly by fresh water fishes and also by marine fishes having
demersal eggs.
 Nest building involves active participation of either males or females or both.
 The simplest form of nest building is exhibited by salmons, darters,
sunfishes,cichlids, etc.
 Salmons select gravelly shallows of running streams as their spawning ground. Here
they assemble in shoals. Female will make a nursery in the form of pit to lay eggs.
After fertilization,she will cover them with layer of gravel.
 Similar method is adopted by Australian fresh water,Arius .
 In case of darters , sun fishes and cichlids males make shallow basin like dipressions
on the bottom

6. ARIUS

7. Sun fish

8. Another important species that exhibit nest building habit is sand gobies. Male scoops out
sand from beneath an empty molluscan shell, female deposits adhesive eggs on it by
periodic movements of male’s pectoral fins, he will aerate the crude nest.
Sand Goby

9. The lung fishes Protopterus and Lepidosiren are well known for parental care.
Protopterus

10. LEPIDOSIREN

11. Nest-building behavior all so found among the Chinese paradise fish and gourami. It is in the form of a
frothy disc formed of air bubbles and mucus.
PARADISE FISH

12. The male of N.American bowfin (Amia calva) constructs a crude circular nest of soft
weeds and rootless amidst aquatic vegetation. Spawning takes place in the “weedy castle”.
Some times later the young ones leave the nest in a swarm escorted by their watchful
father.
Amia calva

13. The male of two-spinned stickle back builds an elaborate nest in fresh water, using twigs
and weeds, fastened together by the threads of a sticky secretion from the kidney.

14. Nest building by female is rarely known. Female Heterotis has been shown to make
nests in swamps.

15. There are instances in which both the parents take part in nest building.
Eg: Labrus
Labrus

16. CARRYING THE EGGS ON THE BODY
 Some fishes ensure protection to their eggs by carrying them
safely either in the mouth or anywhere in the body.
 In Aspredo and Platystacus,the skin of the lower part of the
female become smooth and spongy during breeding
seasons.fertilized eggs get attached to it.

17. In some fishes like Arius and Tilapia mouth-brooding or buccal incubation is a
characteristic property.both the male and female carries eggs and young ones in their
mouth.
In oral incubation,the parent will not feed until young ones hatch out.
male nursery fish krutus has a cephalic horn upon which female deposits grape like
egg clusters.

18. KEEPING THE EGGS IN BROOD CHAMBERS
 in most species of Syngnathus,Hippocampus,siphonostoma,
male has a brood pouch for the deposition of eggs.
 In Hippocampus,some sort of”placenta” may be formed for
gas exchange between the father and the developing young
ones.
 In syngnathus, brood pouch has a highly vascular spongy
lining from which the developing young ones may draw
nourishment.
 in unique pipe fish of Indian and pacific oceans,Salenostomus
the inner side of the ventral fin of female coalesces with the
integument forming a large pouch for keeping the eggs.

19. Syngnathus Estuary pipefish

21.  COILING ROUND THE EGGS
 The British gunnel or the butter fish has a peculiar way of parental
care.
 The female roll the eggs to a ball and then curls around them. Often
male may assist her in this process .
Butter Fish

22. KEEPING THE EGGS IN SAFE SHELTERS
 Female sand gobies (Pomatoschistos minutes)lay eggs in safe places.
The eggs are then guarded by males.

23. Some British blennies stick their eggs to the side walls
of the cavities in rocks or between stones.

24.  Cyclopterus attaches eggs in masses to rocks.
 In both the above instances, male guards the
eggs.

25. KEEPING THE EGGS IN EGG CAPSULES
Some chondrichthyes, gives maximum protection to eggs
by enclosing them in a egg capsule.
 In Scyllium, Raja etc, fertilized eggs are kept in a specially
designed horny egg capsule, popularly called “Mermaid’s
purse”.
 Egg filled capsules get attached to aquatic weeds with the
help of tendril like filements.
 Development is completed inside the capsule, utilizing the
yolk reserve.Young ones hatchout by breaking the capsule.

27. OVIPOSITION
Oviposition means, act of laying or depositing eggs.
 It is mostly exhibited by central European bitterling .
 In this the genital papilla of the female serves as an
ovipositor. With its help eggs may be introduced to the gill
chamber of a pond mussel.
During this female takes to a vertical posture and spawning.
Male swims around her and discharges sperms in to the
mussel.
Fertilization and development take place in the gill
chamber and young ones leave the host later.

28. OVOVIVIPARITY
 Several fishes provide maximum pre-natal protection to
their embryos by adopting ovoviviparity.
Here the development is internal and the special portion
of the oviduct serves as an unspecialized uterus.
A true mammalian type of placenta is absent.
Nutrition is given either by yolk reserve or the uterine
milk which is secreted by uterine wall.
Eg: for ovoviviparous chondrichthyes are
scoliodon,sphyrna,pristis,stegastoma,squalus,mustelus,
myliobatis,trygon pteroplatea,etc.
Eg: for ovoviviparous osteichthyes are
Gambusia,poicilia,blennis,allis,zoarces,cymogaster etc.

29. CHONDRICHTHYES
Scoliodon
Pristis
Trygon
Stegastoma Sphyrna

30. OSTEICHTHYES
Allis Gambusia
Poicilia Allis

31. By anand p p