Life history of mouthbrooding freshwater fishes in northern Australia

Parental care, or the caring of the young post-mating, is a life history trait represented across the animal kingdom. It is theorised that parental care maximises the reproductive success of the adult, and increases offspring survival rate in relatively stable but resource-limited habitats. One form of parental care in fish is mouthbrooding, where one (maternal or paternal) or both parents (biparental) incubate the young in the buccal cavity until it is fully developed. Whilst offering numerous benefits to the offspring, mouthbrooding can be costly hence may require physiological, behavioural and morphological adaptations in the adult carer.
This research investigates the life history and morphological trait adaptations of two paternal (male-only) mouthbrooding, widely distributed, freshwater fishes in northern Australia: mouth almighty Glossamia aprion and fork-tailed catfish Neoarius graeffei.
Glossamia aprion and Neoarius graeffei are rarely studied species hence findings of this research will contribute to the reproductive ecology these paternal mouthbrooders. The information obtained will be critical for their conservation and management.