Spawning and parental care in Hoplias malabaricus (Teleostei, Characiformes, Erythrinidae) in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil.

Herein we describe spawning and egg guarding in the erythrinid fish Hoplias malabaricus observed in the southern Pantanal (19 degrees 34' S and 57 degrees 00' W), state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Nests were depressions built on sandy soil in flooded areas, and contained a mean of 8,197 +/- 2,204 eggs (N = 4); the mean diameter of eggs was 1.44 +/- 0.09 mm (N = 400). Among 11 nests observed, eight were guarded by males and three by the pair. One male remained in the nest for six days, and two pairs remained guarding the eggs for at least three days before being captured. Females (N = 2) captured in the nest contained oocytes in their ovaries. Our observations suggest that male parental care is the normal form of parental care in H. malabaricus, but biparental care also seems to occur.