> Are the eggs fertile but failing to hatch or infertile from the start?
I think they are fertile if for only the reason that they don't fungus
quickly. The main thing seems to be (from conversations with Tappin and
Wim) that you get plenty of eggs but many of them are soft and fall apart
when you touch them.
> how they reproduce in the wild to extrapolate on. Maybe they even need
> poorer water conditions to trigger proper maturation of sperm and
These fish live in a fairly constant environment (clarification, some
aspects of the habitat are some of the most variable of any fish, other
aspects are exceptionally constant). I doubt they are likely to
experience much difference in water quality through out the year, at
least not before sheep and cattle!
> cycle you should, or at least know who to talk to Peter. Its hard to
> believe that alleles could have degenerated in so few generations, as
> to make the species nonviable. Particularly a species living in such
> limited numbers in such small water holes.
I agree. I just don't think we have found what the problem is.
> of plants cannot self pollinate even when they have both pollen and
> eggs ripe at the same time. It must come from another plant. Could a
> similar mechanism be acting species with small population to insure
> some type of genetic diversity? Could too many alleles being identical
I don't think that is known of in animals except perhaps some
hermaphrodites like Roy.
Tootles
Peter Unmack
Confusius says "Rooster one day, feather duster the next."