Parasitism rates and number of catfish per brood were the highest in the albino morphotype suggesting that the higher levels of parasitism may be related to lower aggressive behavior, lower visual acuity, or captive influence. We also analyzed the parasitism rate of the albino morph of Metriaclima zebra, a domestic strain. horei parasitism frequency and number of cuckoo catfish per brood. Our results are comparable to findings from the field for C. The number of catfish eggs per parasitized brood was similar between C. horei may be due to differences in the mating ritual, oviposition (e.g., long periods of pseudo-spawning before actual oviposition), and behavioral adaptations (e.g., increased aggression towards the cuckoo catfish). horei was parasitized significantly less (17%) than the allopatric species Haplochromis latifasciatus, Haplochromis nubilus, and Metriaclima estherae (combined parasitism rate of 28%). Here we examine the frequency of parasitism by the cuckoo catfish of Ctenochromis horei from Lake Tanganyika and three species from Lake Malawi and the greater Lake Victorian system in a laboratory setting.
The cuckoo catfish parasitizes Tanganyikan mouthbrooding cichlids, and under captive conditions, will also parasitize cichlids from other Rift Valley lakes. The only known non-avian vertebrate obligate brood parasite is the cuckoo catfish (Synodontis multipunctatus), a Lake Tanganyikan endemic.