Summary
-
1.
Cannibalistic behaviour in fish is reviewed here for the first time.
-
2.
Cannibalism has been recorded in 36 out of 410 teleost families according to the published literature, but is considered to be more widespread than this. Finding examples of cannibalism is not difficult, and it may be more interesting to look for taxa in which the behaviour does not take place.
-
3.
The families that have provided the most information include the Engraulididae, Esocidae, Poeciliidae, Gasterosteidae, Percidae and Cichlidae.
-
4.
Cannibalism has been classified into seven types, depending on life-history stage, age difference between cannibal and prey, and whether or not they are related.
-
5.
Although in captive populations, cannibalism tends to increase with increasing density and decreasing food availability, its role in population regulation has not been unequivocally demonstrated in any wild population, and obtaining the necessary data presents a formidable challenge to fish ecologists.
-
6.
Cannibalism is of some economic importance in aquaculture, but its impact can be reduced relatively easily, by frequent grading to reduce size variability.
-
7.
The main proximate advantage conferred by cannibalism is assumed to be nutritional. In an ultimate sense the behaviour may have evolved as a particularly effective competitive strategy.
-
8.
Finally, it is considered that cannibalism deserves more attention from fish biologists. Investigations, however, should recognize the different types of cannibalistic interaction, and, in particular, should explore the different implications of kin and nonkin cannibalism
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alm, G. (1946) Reasons for the occurrence of stunted fish populations: with special regard to the perch. Rep. Swedish State Inst. Freshwat. Fishery Res., Drottningholm 25, 1–146.
Balon, E.K. (1975) Reproductive guilds of fishes: a proposal and definition. J. Fish Res. Bd Can. 32, 821–64.
Banerji, S.R. and Prasad, D. (1974) Observations on reproduction and survival of Anabas testudinens (Bloch) in Bihar region. J. Inland Fish. Soc. India 6, 6–17.
Barber, F.G. (1984) Experiment with pink salmon: barren streams, size selection in predation and in trolling. Tech. Rep. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 1258, 1–21.
Barlow, G.W. (1964) Ethology of the Asian teleost, Badis badis V. Dynamics of fanning and other parental activities, with comments on the behaviour of larvae and postalarvae. Z. Tierpsychol. 21, 19–123.
Belles-Isles, J., Cloutier, D. and FitzGerald, G.J. (1990) Female cannibalism and male courtship tactics in three-spine sticklebacks. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 26, 363–8.
Berrios-Hernandez, J.M. and Snow, J.R. (1983) Comparison of methods of reducing fry losses to cannibalism in tilapia production. Progve Fish Cult. 45, 116–18.
Blumer, L.S. (1979) Male parental care in bony fishes. Q. Rev. Biol. 54, 149–61.
Bobisud, L.E. (1976) Cannibalism as an evolutionary strategy. Bull. math. Biol. 38, 359–68.
Braid, M.R. and Shell, E.W. (1981) Incidence of cannibalism among striped bass fry in an intensive culture system. Progve Fish Cult. 43, 210–2.
Breder, C.M. (1927) The fishes of the River Chucunaque drainage, eastern Panama. Bull. Am. Mus. nat. Hist. 57, 91–176.
Brownell, C.L. (1985) Laboratory analysis of cannibalism by larvae in the cape anchovy Engraulis capensis. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 114, 512–18.
Brownell, C.L. (1987) Cannibalistic interactions among young anchovy: a first attempt to apply laboratory behavioural observations to the field. S. Afr. J. mar. Sci. 5, 503–11.
Bry, C. and Gillet, C. (1980) Reduction du cannibalisme precoce chez le brochet (Esox lucius) par isolement des fratries. Bull. fr. Piscic. 277, 142–53.
Bulkey, R.V. (1970) Feeding interactions between adult bass and their offspring. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 99, 732–8.
Bulman, C.M. and Blaber, S.J.M. (1986) Feeding ecology of Macruronus novaezelandiae (Hector) (Teleostei: Merlucciidae) in South-Eastern Australia. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 37, 621–39.
Chang, B.D. and Liley, N.R. (1974) The effect of experience on the development of parental behaviour in the blue gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus. Can. J. Zool. 52, 1499–1503.
Chikova, V.M. (1970) The feeding of the perch (Perca fluviatilis (L.)) in the drawn-down zone of Kuybyshev Reservoir around the Dam. J. Ichthyol 10, 328–32.
Chua, T.E. and Teng, S.L. (1980) Economic production of estuary grouper, Epinephelus salmoides Maxwell, reared in floating net cages. Aquaculture 20, 187–228.
Coe, M.J. (1966) The biology of Tilapia grahami Boulenger in Lake Magadi, Kenya. Acta Trop. 23, 146–77.
Cook, R.M. and Armstrong, D.W. (1986) Stock-related effects in the recruitment of North Sea haddock and whiting. J. Cons. perm. int. Explor. Mer. 42, 272–80.
Craig, J.F. and Kipling, C. (1983) Reproduction effort versus the environment; case histories of Windermere perch, Perca fluviatilis L., and pike, Esox lucius L. J. Fish Biol. 22, 713–27.
Cuff, W.R. (1977) Initiation and control of cannibalism in larval walleyes. Progve Fish Cult. 39, 29–32.
Cuff, W.R. (1980) Behavioural aspects of cannibalism in larval walleye. Stizostedion vitreum. Can. J. Zool. 58, 1504–7.
Cushing, D.H. (1988) The study of stock and recruitment. In Gulland, J.A., ed. Fish Population Dynamics, 2nd edn. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, pp. 105–28.
Davis, T.L.O. (1985) The food of barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch), in coastal and inland waters of Van Diemen Gulf and the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. J. Fish Biol. 26, 669–82.
Dawkins, R. (1976) The Selfish Gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 224 pp.
DeAngelis, D.L., Cox, D.K. and Coutant, C.C. (1979) Cannibalism and size dispersal in young-of-the-year largemouth bass: experiment and model. Ecol. Modelling 8, 133–48.
Degani, G. and Levanon, D. (1983) The influence of low density on food adaptation, cannibalism and growth of eels (Anguilla anguillas (L.)). Bamidgeh 35, 53–60.
DeMartini, E.E. (1987) Paternal defence, cannibalism and polygamy: factors influencing the reproductive success of painted greenling (Pisces, Hexagrammidae). Anim. Behav. 35, 1145–58.
DeNeff, S.J. and Villars, T.A. (1982) Filial cannibalism and nocturnal illumination in paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis. Behav. Neural Biol. 36, 295–7.
Dionne, M. (1985) Cannibalism, food availability, and reproduction in the mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis); a laboratory experiment. Am. Nat. 126, 16–23.
Dominey, W.J. (1981a) Anti-predator function of bluegill sunfish nesting colonies. Nature 290, 586–8.
Dominey, W.J. (1981b) The mating system of the bluegill sunfish (Centrarchidae: Lepomis macrochirus). PhD thesis, Cornell Univ. 134 pp.
Dominey, W.J. and Blumer, L.S. (1984) Cannibalism of early life stages in fishes. In Hausfater, G. and Hrdy, S.B., eds. Infanticide. Comparative and Evolutionary Perspectives. New York: Aldine, pp. 43–64.
Downhower, J.F. and Brown, L. (1980) Mate preferences of female mottled sculpins, Cottus bairdi. Anim. Behav. 28, 728–34.
Dwyer, D.A., Bailey, K.M. and Livingston, P.A. (1987) Feeding habits and daily ration of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in the Eastern Bering Sea, with special reference to cannibalism. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 44, 1972–84.
Eschmeyer, P.H. (1950) The life-history of the walleye, Stizostedion vitreum vitreum (Mitchill), in Michigan. Mich. Dep. Conserv., Inst. Fish. Res. Bull. 3, 7–99.
Eyeson, K.N. (1983) Egg and fry swallowing habits of tilapia. Aquaculture 32, 415–18.
Fahrig, K.P. (1972) New research on fish cannibalism. Aquarium Digest 1, 5.
Feuth-de Bruijn, E. and Sevenster, P. (1983) Parental reactions to young in sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.). Behaviour 83, 186–203.
FitzGerald, G.J. and vanHavre, N. (1987) The adaptive significance of cannibalism in sticklebacks. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 20, 125–8.
Folkvord, A. and Hunter, J.R. (1986) Size-specific vulnerability of northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax, larvae to predation by fishes. Fish. Bull. Natl. Oceanic and Atmos. Adm. (U.S.) 84, 859–69.
Forney, J.L. (1976) Year-class formation in the walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) population of Oneida Lake, New York, 1966–73. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 33, 783–92.
Foster, S.A., Garcia, V.B. and Town, M.Y. (1988) Cannibalism as the cause of an ontogenetic shift in habitat use by fry of the three spine stickleback. Oecologia 74, 577–85.
Fox, L.R. (1975) Cannibalism in natural populations. A. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 6, 87–106.
Fryer, G. and Iles, T.D. (1972) The Cichlid Fishes of the Great Lakes of Africa. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. 641 pp.
Fuiman, L.A. (1989) Vulnerability of Atlantic herring larvae to predation by yearling herring. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 51, 291–9.
Fujiya, M. (1976) Yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) farming in Japan. J. Fish Res. Bd Can. 33, 911–15.
Giles, N., Wright, R.M. and Nord, M.E. (1986) Cannibalism in pike fry, Esox lucius L.: some experiments with fry densities. J. Fish Biol. 29, 107–13.
Gilmore, R.G. (1983) Observations on the embryos of the longfin mako, Isurus paucus and the bigeye thresher, Alopias supercilosus. Copeia 15, 375–82.
Gilmore, R.G., Dodrill, J.W. and Linley, P.A. (1983) Reproduction and embryonic development of the sand tiger shark, Odontaspis taurus (Rafinesque). Fish Bull. Natl. Oceanic and Atmos. Adm. (U.S.) 81, 201–25.
Goldschmid, A. and Kotrschal, K. (1981) Feeding ecology of three populations of Blennius incognitus Bath 1968 (Pisces: Teleostei: Blennidae) during the reproductive period and under human influence. Mar. Ecol. 2, 1–14.
Goldspink, C.R. and Goodwin, D. (1979) A note on the age composition, growth rate and food of perch Perca fluviatilis (L.) in four eutrophic lakes, England. J. Fish Biol. 14, 489–505.
Grave, H. (1981) Food and feeding of mackerel larvae and early juveniles in the North Sea. Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. perm. int. Explor. Mer 178, 454–9.
Harris, J.G.K. (1975) The effect of density dependent mortality on the shape of stock-recruitment curve. J. Cons. perm. int. Explor. Mer 36, 144–9.
Hastings, P.A. and Bortone, S.A. (1980) Observations on the life-history of the belted sandfish, Serranus subligarius (Serranidae). Env. Biol. Fishes 5, 365–74.
Hecht, T. and Appelbaum, S. (1988) Observations on intraspecific aggression and coeval sibling cannibalism by larval and juvenile Clarias gariepinus (Clariidae: Pisces) under controlled conditions. J. Zool. 214, 21–44.
Hill, L.G. (1969) Feeding and food habits of the spring cavefish, Chologaster agassizi. Amer. Midl. Nat. 82, 110–16.
Hislop, J.R.G. (1984) A comparison of the reproductive tactics and strategies of cod, haddock, whiting and Norway pout in the North Sea. In Potts, G.W. and Wootton, R.J., eds. Fish Reproduction: Strategies and Tactics. London: Academic Press, pp. 311–29.
Hoelzer, G. (1988) Filial cannibalism in a non-brood cycling marine fish. Env. Biol. Fishes 21, 309–13.
Hourston, A.S., Rosenthal, H. and Kerri, S. (1981) Capacity of juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi) to feed on larvae of their own species. Tech. Rep. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 1044, 1–25.
Hunt, B.P. and Carbine, W.F. (1951) Food of young pike Esox lucius L. and associated fishes in Peterson's ditches. Houghton Lake, Michigan, Trans. Am Fish. Soc. 80, 67–83.
Hunter, J.R. and Kimbrell, C.A. (1980) Egg cannibalism in the northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax. Fish. Bull. Natl. Oceanic and Atmos. Adm. (U.S.) 78, 811–16.
Hyatt, K.D. and Ringler, N.H. (1989) Egg cannibalism and the reproductive strategies of three spine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a coastal British Columbia lake. Can. J. Zool. 67, 2036–46.
Johns, L.S. and Liley, N.R. (1970) The effects of gonadectomy and testosterone treatment on the reproductive behaviour of the male blue gourami Trichogaster trichopterus. Can. J. Zool. 48, 977–87.
Jones, J.S. (1982) Of cannibals and kin. Nature 299, 202–3.
Karasiova, E.M. (1986) Cannibalism in blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou (Risso)) during the spawning period. ICES-CM-1987-H-29 (mimeo)
Katavić, I., Jug-Dujaković, J. and Glamuzina, B. (1989) Cannibalism as a factor affecting the survival of intensively cultured sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fingerlings. Aquaculture 77, 135–43.
Keenleyside, M.H.A. (1979) Diversity and Adaptation in Fish Behaviour. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. 208 pp.
Keenleyside, M.H.A., Bailey, R.C. and Young, V.H. (1990) Variation in the mating system and associated parental behaviour of captive and free-living Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum (Pisces, Cichlidae). Behaviour 112, 202–21.
Klingbiel, J.H. (1986) Culture of purebred muskellunge. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 15, 273–8.
Kodric-Brown, A. (1983) Determinants of male reproductive success in pupfish (Cyprinodon pecosensis). Anim. Behav. 31, 128–37.
Kramer, D.L. (1972) The role of androgens in the parental behaviour of the blue gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus (Pisces, Belontiidae). Anim. Behav. 20, 798–807.
Kramer, D.L. (1973) Parental behaviour in the blue gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus (Pisces: Belontiidae) and its induction during exposure to varying numbers of conspecific eggs. Behaviour 47, 14–32.
Kramer, D.L. and Liley, N.R. (1971) The role of spawning behaviour and stimuli from the eggs in the induction of a parental response in the blue gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus (Pisces, Belontiidae). Anim. Behav. 19, 87–92.
Kynard, B.E. (1978) Breeding behaviour of a lacustrine population of threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.). Behaviour 67, 178–207.
Lavery, R.J. and Keenleyside, M.H.A. (1990) Filial cannibalism in the biparental fish Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum (Pisces: Cichlidae) in response to early brood reductions. Ethology 86, 326–38.
Li, S.K. and Mathias, J.A. (1982) Causes of high mortality among cultured larval walleyes. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 111, 710–21.
Li, S.K. and Owings, D.H. (1978) Sexual selection in the three-spined stickleback: II. Nest raiding during the courtship phase. Behaviour 64, 298–304.
Liebman, E. (1933) Some observations on the breeding habits of Palastine Cichlidae. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1933, 885–8.
Lipskaya, N.Y. (1982) The feeding of larvae of the chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus (Scombridae), from the South-Eastern Pacific. J. Ichthyol. 22, 97–104.
Lleonart, J., Salat, J. and MacPherson, E. (1985) CVPA, an expanded VPA with cannibalism. Application to a hake population, Fish Res. 3, 61–79.
Loadman, N.L., Moodie, G.E.E. and Mathias, J.A. (1986) Significance of cannibalism in larval walleye (Stizostedion vitreum). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43, 613–18.
Loekle, D.M., Madison, D.M. and Christian, J.J. (1982) Time dependency and kin recognition of cannibalistic behaviour among poeciliid fishes. Behav. Neural Biol. 35, 315–18.
Loiselle, P.V. (1983) Filial cannibalism and egg recognition by males of the primitively custodial teleost Cyprinodon macularius californiensis Girard (Atherinomorpha: Cyprinodontidae). Ethol. Sociobiol. 4, 1–9.
Lund, R. (1980) Viviparity and intrauterine feeding in a new holocephalan fish from the Lower Carboniferous of Montana. Science 209, 697–9.
MacCall, A.D. (1980) The consequences of cannibalism in the stock-recruitment relationship of planktivorous pelagic fishes such as Engraulis. In Sharp, G.D., ed. Workshop on the Effects of Environmental Variation on the Survival of Larval Pelagic Fishes. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Workshop 28. Paris: IOC/UNESCO, pp. 201–20.
McKaye, K.R. and Barlow, G.W. (1976) Chemical recognition of young by the midas cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellum. Copeia. 1976, 276–82.
McKaye, K.R., Weiland, D.J. and Lim, T.M. (1979) Comments on the breeding biology of Gobiomorus dormitor (Osteichthyes: Eleotridae) and the advantage of schooling behaviour to its fry. Copeia 1979, 542–4.
Mann, R.H.K. (1982) The annual food consumption and prey preferences of pike (Esox lucius) in the River Frome, Dorset. J. Anim. Ecol. 51, 81–95.
Martin, J.D. (1987) Atlantic salmon and alewife passage at the fishway on the Magaguadavic River, New Brunswick, during 1984, Can. Manuscript Rep. Fish. aquat. Sci. No. 1938. 7 pp.
Mathias, J.A. and Li, S. (1982) Feeding habits of walleye larvae and juveniles; comparative laboratory and field studies. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 111, 722–35.
Meffe, G.K. and Crump, M.L. (1987) Possible growth and reproductive benefits of cannibalism in the mosquitofish. Am. Nat. 129, 203–12.
Meffe, G.K. and Snelson, F.F. (1989) Ecology and Evolution of Livebearing Fishes (Poeciliidae). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 453 pp.
Mehl, S. (1989) The northeast Arctic cod stock's consumption of commercially exploited prey species, 1984–1986. Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. perm. int. Explor. Mer 1988, 185–205.
Metzelaar, J. (1929) The food of the trout in Michigan. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 59, 146–52.
Möller, H. and Anders, K. (1986) Diseases and Parasites of Marine Fishes. Kiel: Verlag Möller. 365-pp.
Moore, W.S. and McKay, F.E. (1971) Coexistence in unisexual-bisexual species complexes of Poeciliopsis (Pisces: Poeciliidae). Ecology 52, 791–9.
Mrowka, W. (1987) Filial cannibalism and reproductive success in the maternal mouthbrooding cichlid fish Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 21, 257–65.
Munro, W.R. (1957) The pike of Loch Choin. Freshwat. Salm. Fish. Res. 16, 1–16.
Nelson, J.S. (1984) Fishes of the World. New York: John Wiley and Sons. 416 pp.
Nickum, J.G. (1978) Intensive culture of walleyes; the state of the art. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. 11, 187–94.
Nikolsky, G.V. (1974) The Ecology of Fishes. London: Academic Press. 352 pp.
Nordeide, J.T. and Svasund, T. (1990) The behaviour of wild and reared juvenile cod, Gadus morhua, towards a potential predator. Aquacult. Fish. Manage. 21, 317–26.
Ochi, H. (1985) Termination of parental care due to small clutch size in the temperate damselfish, Chromis notata. Env. Biol. Fishes. 12, 155–60.
Oguto-Ohwayo, R. (1990) Changes in the prey ingested and the variations in the Nile perch and other fish stocks of Lake Kyoga and the northern waters of Lake Victoria (Uganda). J. Fish Biol. 37, 55–63.
Ohta, T. and Nakazono, A. (1988) Mating habits, mating system and possible filial cannibalism in the triplefin, Enneapterygius etheostomus. Proc. 6th Int. Coral Reef Symp. Australia, 1988 2, 797–801.
Olsén, K.H. (1989) Sibling recognition in juvenile Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.). J. Fish Biol. 34, 571–81.
Pantastico, J.B., Dangilan, M.M.A. and Eguia, R.V. (1988) Cannibalism among different sizes of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fry/fingerlings and the effect of natural food. In Pullin, R.S.V., Bhukaswan, T., Tonguthai, K. and Maclean, J.L., eds. The Second International Symposium on Tilapia in Aquaculture, ICLARM Conference Proceedings. Manila, pp. 465–8.
Patriquin, D.G. (1967) Biology of Gadus morhua in Ogac Lake, a landlocked fjord on Baffin Island. J. Fish Res. Bd Can. 24, 2573–94.
Petersen, C.W. (1990) The occurrence and dynamics of clutch loss and filial cannibalism in the Caribbean damselfishes. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 135, 117–33.
Petersen, C.W. and Marchetti, K. (1989) Filial cannibalism in the Cortez damselfish, Stegastes rectifraenum. Evolution. 43, 158–68.
Pitcher, T.J. (1986) Functions of shoaling behaviour in teleosts. In Pitcher, T.J., ed. The Behaviour of Teleost Fishes. London: Croom Helm, pp. 294–338.
Polis, G.A. (1981) The evolution and dynamics of intraspecific predation. A. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 12, 225–51.
Qasim, S.Z. (1956) The spawning habits and embryonic development of the shanny (Blennius pholis L.). Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 127, 79–93.
Qasim, S.Z. (1957) The biology of Blennius pholis L. (Teleostei). Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 128, 161–209.
Quinn, T.P. and Busack, C.A. (1985) Chemosensory recognition of siblings in juvenile coho salmon (Oncorynchus kisutch). Anim. Behav. 33, 51–6.
Radovich, J. (1962) Effect of sardine spawingng stock size and environment on year class production. Calif. Fish Game 48, 123–40.
Ricker, W.E. (1954) Stock and recruitment. J. Fish Res. Bd Can. 11, 559–623.
Ridgway, M.S. and McPhail, J.D. (1988) Raiding shoal size and a distraction display in male sticklebacks (Gasterosteus). Can. J. Zool. 66, 201–5.
Riget, F.F., Nygaard, K.H. and Christensen, B. (1986) Population structure, ecological segregation and reproduction in a population of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from Lake Tasersvaq, Greenland. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43, 985–92.
Riley, J.D. and Parnell, W.G. (1984) The distribution of young cod. In Dahl, E., Danielssen, D.S., Moksness, E. and Solemdal, P., eds. The Propagation of Cod, Gadus morhua L. Norway: Fløedevigen rapportser 1, 563–80.
Rohwer, S. (1978) Parent cannibalism of offspring and egg-raiding as a courtship strategy. AM. Nat. 112, 429–40.
Rose, S.M. (1959) Population control in guppies. Am. Midl. Nat. 62, 474–81.
Salfert, I.G. and Moodie, G.E.E. (1985) Filial egg-cannibalism in the brook stickleback, Culaea inconstans (Kirtland). Behaviour 93, 82–100.
Santander, H. (1987) Relationship between egg-standing stock and parent biomass off Peru, 4–14°S. In Pauly, D. and Tsukayama, I., eds. The Peruvian Anchoveta and its Upwelling Ecosystem: Three Decades of Change. (ICLARM Studies and Reviews, vol. 15.) Manila: ICLARM, pp. 179–207.
Schwanck, E. (1986) Filial cannibalism of Tilapia mariae. J. appl. Ichthyol. 2, 65–74.
Shapovalov, L. (1936) Food of the striped bass. Calif. Fish Game 22, 261–71.
Shirahata, S. (1964) On “cannibalism” in the rainbow trout fingerling, Salmo gairdneri irideus. Jap. J. Ecol. 14, 25–32.
Shirota, A. (1978) Studies on the mouth size of fish larvae. II. Specific characteristics of the upper jaw length. Bull. Jap. Soc. Scient. Fish. 44, 1171–7.
Shrivastava, N.P. and Desai, V.R. (1979) A case of cannibalism observed in Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton) from Rihand Reservoir (Uttar Pradesh). J. Inland Fish. Soc. India 11, 134–5.
Shumilov, I.P. (1971) Survival of eggs of the Baikal omul; (Coregonus autumnalis migratorius (Georgi)) in spawning grounds of the Kichera River and the effect of river flow on the strength of year-classes. J. Ichthyol. 11, 223–30.
Skurdal, J., Bleken, E. and Stenseth, N.C. (1985) Cannibalism in whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus). Oecologia 67, 566–71.
Smith, C. (1989) An investigation into the problem of conspecific predation among the fry of the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1757) in an intensive culture system. MSc thesis, Plymouth Polytechnic. 134 pp.
Smith, P.E., Santander, H. and Alheit, J. (1983) Comparison of egg sample probability distributions of the anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and sardine (Sardinops sagax) off Peru and the anchovy (Engraulis mordax) and the sardine (Sardinops caerulea) off California. F.A.O. Fish Rep. 291(3), 1027–38.
Sparholt, H. (1985) The population, survival, growth, reproduction and food of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.) in four unexploited lakes in Greenland. J. Fish Biol. 26, 313–30.
Stenseth, N.C. (1985) On the evolution of cannibalism. J. Theor. Biol. 115, 161–77.
Taborsky, M. (1985) Breeder-helper conflict in a cichlid fish with broodcare helpers: an experimental analysis. Behaviour 95, 45–75.
Tarby, M.J. (1974) Characteristics of yellow perch cannibalism in Oneida Lake and the relation to first year survival. Trans. Am. Fish Soc. 103, 462–71.
Teng, S.K., Akatsu, S., Al-Abdul-Elah, K.M., El-Zahr, C.R., Downing, N., Al-Marzouk, A. and Chazal, N. (1982) Spawning, fingerling production and market-size culture of sobaity (Acanthopagrus cuvieri) in Kuwait. A. Res. Rep. Kuwait Inst. Sci. Res. 1981, 66–70.
Thibault, R.E. (1974) Genetics of cannibalism in a viviparous fish and its relationship to population density. Nature 251, 138–40.
Ulltang, Ø. (1984) The management of cod stocks with special reference to growth and recruitment over fishing and the question whether artificial propagation can help solve management problems. In Dahl, E., Danielsson, D.S., Moksness, E. and Solemdal, P., eds. The Propagation of Cod, Gadus morhua L., Norway: Flødevigen rapportser 7, 795–817.
Valdes, E.S., Shelton, P.A., Armstrong, M.J. and Field, J.G. (1987) Cannibalism in South African anchovy: egg mortality and egg consumption rates. S. Afr. J. mar. Sci. 5, 613–22.
Valerio, M. and Barlow, G.W. (1986) Ontogeny of young Midas cichlids: a study of feeding, filial cannibalism and agonism in relation to differences in size. Biol. Behav./Biol. Comport. 11, 16–35.
vanDamme, P., Appelbaum, S. and Hecht, T. (1989) Sibling cannibalism in Koi carp, Cyprinus carpio L., larvae and juveniles reared under controlled conditions. J. Fish Biol. 34, 855–63.
van denAssem, J.J.A. (1967) Territory in the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus L. An experimental study in intraspecific competition. Behaviour (Supp.) 16, 1–164.
VanGroenewald, A.A.J. (1964) Observations on the food habits of Clarias gariepinus Burchell, the South African Freshwater barbel (Pisces: Clariidae) in Transvaal. Hydrobiologia 23, 287–91.
Vickery, W.L., Whoriskey, F.G. and FitzGerald, G.J. (1988) On the evolution of nest raiding and male defensive behaviour in sticklebacks. (Pisces: Gasterosteidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 22, 185–93.
Warren, E.W. (1973) The establishment of a ‘normal’ population and its behavioural maintenance in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata (Peters). J. Fish Biol. 5, 285–304.
Watson, R. (1989) Nile perch in Lake Victoria. Swara 12(6), 25–7.
Wattendorf, R.J. (1979) Cannibalism in elvers. Progve Fish Cult. 41, 218.
Welch, D.W. (1986) Identifying the stock-recruitment relationship for age-structured populations using time-invariant matched linear filters. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43, 108–23.
Werner, E.E. and Gilliam, J.F. (1984) The ontogenetic niche and species interactions in size-structured populations. A. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 15, 393–425.
White, H.C. (1930) Some observations on the Eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) of Prince Edward Island. Trans. Am. Fish Soc. 60, 101–8.
Whoriskey, F.G. and FitzGerald, G.J. (1985) Sex, cannibalism and sticklebacks. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 18, 15–18.
Wootton, R.J. (1971) A note on the nest-raiding behaviour of male sticklebacks. Can. J. Zool. 49, 960–62.
Wootton, R.J. (1979) Energy costs of egg production and environmental determinants of fecundity in teleost fishes. Symp. zool. Soc. Lond. 44, 133–59.
Wootton, R.J. (1990) Ecology of Teleost Fishes. London: Chapman and Hall. 404 pp.
Wourms, J.P. (1977) Reproduction and development in chondrichthyan fishes. Am. Zool. 17, 379–410.
Wourms, J.P. (1981) Viviparity: The maternal-fetal relationship in fishes. Am. Zool. 21, 473–515.
Wourms, J.P., Stribling, M.D. and Atz, J.W. (1980) Maternal-fetal nutrient relationships in the coelacanth, Latimeria. Am. Zool. 20, 962.
Wourms, J.P., Hamlet, W.C. and Stribling, M.D. (1981) Embryonic oophagy and adelphophagy in sharks. Abstract No. 606. Am. Zool. 21, 1019.
Wourms, J.P., Grove, B.D. and Lombardi, J. (1988) The maternal-embryonic relationship in viviparous fishes. In Hoar, W.S. and Randall, D.J., eds. Fish Physiology, Vol. XI Part B. London: Academic Press, pp. 1–134.
Wright, R.M. (1990) The population biology of pike, Esox lucius L., in two gravel pit lakes, with special reference to early life history. J. Fish. Biol. 36, 215–29.
Wright, R.M. and Giles, N. (1987) The survival growth and diet of pike fry, Esox lucius L., stocked at different densities in experimental ponds. J. Fish Biol. 30, 617–29.
Zaret, T.M. (1977) Inhibition of cannibalism in Cichla ocellaris and hypothesis of predator mimicry among South American fishes. Evolution 31, 421–37.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Smith, C., Reay, P. Cannibalism in teleost fish. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 1, 41–64 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00042661
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00042661