Parvulus

[Ted L. Dutcher]

today, round noon I peaked and observed a small clutch of eggs stuck on the roof inside the cave. Looked good. I was a fairly small clutch so could be another females first try.

This afternoon the male was out and not returning to the cave, the eggs were gone, he doesn’t seem to be guarding anything elsewhere in the tank so I will mark, breeding #3 a failure… at spawning. Not failure for me, learning something new almost everyday.

[Peter Finke]

Everything normal, as it is usually with P. parvulus:

1. clutch small: Most parvulus – clutches are between 8 and 15 eggs, some could be bigger. Clutches of other P.-species are mostly bigger, especially by filamentosus or nagyi.

2. The female: The female’s second or third try (which you will see in near future) will hardly be much bigger. That’s parvulus! A typical K-strategist as opposed to r-strategists that produce big clutches.

3. Eggs gone: Quite normal with parvulus. They must not really be gone. P. parvulus males are sophisticated egg-carriers, and afterwards they often visit the new places (plural!) but not guarding as intense as before. Weeks later the young appear. But it could equally be the case that the eggs are really gone, either eaten by the male or by snails or … That’s a puzzle with this species.

Be proud you have it and be patient. It will not be the last clutch.

[Author]

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