Here's something some aquarists could get involved in.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 1997 15:44:17 +0000 (GMT)
From: George Turner <gft at SOTON.AC.UK>
To: Multiple recipients of list CICHLID-L <CICHLID-L at NRM.SE>
Subject: Hybrids
Dear contributers/recipients of cichlid-l
I am interested in the evolution of cichlid species. The key stage in this
process is the establishment of reproductive isolation between populations.
One way to find out about this is to know what is presently preventing/not
preventing introgressive hybridisation between existing species. So I want
to know about hybridisation in the aquarium.
A lot of cichlid aquarists talk about hybridisation, but most of it is
anecdotal information. I would like to encourage all cichlid aquarists to
start to record instances of hybridisation in a systematic fashion and
perhaps to deliberately set up conditions to see under what circumstances it
can happen. Obviously I agree with the commonly-expressed opinion that
hybrid progeny should not be release onto the aquarium trade so that
innocent enthusiasts end up with hybrids when they dont know it.
Here's what I'd like to know.
1. What species are involved?
2. How many adult males and females of each species were present in the tank
when hybridisation occurred?
3. Did the eggs hatch? (actual % hatch would be nice)
4. Did fry survive to sexual maturity?
5. What did adult hybrid males and females look like (colour especially)?
What was sex ratio?
6. Did hybrid progeny reproduce with each other to produce F2 offspring?
7. Were the F2 viable and fertile?
8. Would hybrid offspring mate with either parental species and if so which
sex was involved and were parentals/hybrids given a chance to mate with own
type?
If anyone (especially enthusiastic aquarists) would be interested in trying
out a systematic set of experiments to investigate this with any kind of
cichlids, I'd be glad to advise on how to set it up, analyse and interpret
data and publish results.
George
Dr G.F.Turner
Lecturer in Ecology/ Biodiversity
Division of Biodiversity & Ecology
University of Southampton
Bassett Crescent East
SOUTHAMPTON SO16 7PX
England, UK
Phone- 44-(0)1703 594394
Fax- 44- (0) 1703 594269
e-mail gft at soton.ac.uk