Synopsis
Seven species of rock-frequenting cichlids, endemic to Lake Malawi, formed feeding-schools. Petrotilapia genalutea was the nuclear species comprising 92% of the school members (n = 2690 individuals from 50 schools). Fifty-eight per cent of all schools encountered consisted only of P. genalutea. School size ranged from 10 to 300 members (x = 81 ± 74 SD, median = 62). Schooling behaviour was facultative. Ninety-seven per cent of the feeding sites used by the schools occurred within the territories of highly aggressive, territorial species. These sites support considerably greater standing crops of algae, the food of the schooling species, than undefended sites. Individuals of schooling species were unable to gain access to the aggresively defended areas unless they joined schools.
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Marsh, A.C., Ribbink, A.J. Feeding schools among Lake Malawi cichlid fishes. Environ Biol Fish 15, 75–79 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00005391
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00005391