Editing Cichlid (section)

====Pit spawning in cichlids====
Pit spawning, also referred to as substrate breeding, is a behavior in cichlid fish in which a fish builds a pit in the sand or ground, where a pair court and consequently spawn.<ref name=Alonso-2011>{{cite journal |last1=Alonso |first1=Felipe |last2=Cánepa |first2=Maximiliano |last3=Moreira |first3=Renata Guimarães |last4=Pandolfi |first4=Matías |date=22 July 2011 |title=Social and reproductive physiology and behavior of the Neotropical cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus under laboratory conditions |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=559–570 |doi=10.1590/S1679-62252011005000025 |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.12110/paper_16796225_v9_n3_p559_Alonso |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Many different factors go into this behavior of pit spawning, including female choice of the male and pit size, as well as the male defense of the pits once they are dug in the sand.<ref name=Nelson-1995>{{cite journal |last=Nelson |first=C. Mindy |date=1 January 1995 |title=Male size, spawning pit size and female mate choice in a lekking cichlid fish |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=50 |issue=6 |pages=1587–1599 |doi=10.1016/0003-3472(95)80013-1 |s2cid=54249065 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Cichlids are often divided into two main groups: mouthbrooders and substrate brooders. Different parenting investment levels and behaviors are associated with each type of reproduction.<ref name=Duponchelle-2008>{{cite journal |last1=Duponchelle |first1=Fabrice |last2=Paradis |first2=Emmanuel |last3=Ribbink |first3=Anthony J. |last4=Turner |first4=George F. |title=Parallel life history evolution in mouthbrooding cichlids from the African Great Lakes |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=7 October 2008 |volume=105 |issue=40 |pages=15475–15480 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0802343105 |pmid=18824688 |pmc=2563094 |bibcode=2008PNAS..10515475D |doi-access=free }}</ref> As pit spawning is a reproductive behavior, many different physiological changes occur in the cichlid while this process is occurring that interfere with social interaction.<ref name=Brown-1978>{{cite journal |last1=Brown |first1=Dean H. |last2=Marshall |first2=Joseph A. |title=Reproductive Behaviour of the Rainbow Cichlid, Herotilapia Multispinosa (Pisces, Cichlidae) |journal=Behaviour |date=1978 |volume=67 |issue=3–4 |pages=299–321 |doi=10.1163/156853978X00378 }}</ref> Different kinds of species that pit spawn, and many different morphological changes  occur because of this behavioral experience.<ref name=Alonso-2011/>

Pit spawning is an evolved behavior across the cichlid group. Phylogenetic evidence from cichlids in Lake Tanganyika could be helpful in uncovering the evolution of their reproductive behaviors.<ref name=Muschik-2012>{{cite journal |last1=Muschick |first1=Moritz |last2=Indermaur |first2=Adrian |last3=Salzburger |first3=Walter |title=Convergent Evolution within an Adaptive Radiation of Cichlid Fishes |journal=Current Biology |date=December 2012 |volume=22 |issue=24 |pages=2362–2368 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2012.10.048 |pmid=23159601 |s2cid=18363916 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2012CBio...22.2362M }}</ref> Several important behaviors are associated with pit spawning, including parental care, food provisioning,<ref name=Wisenden-1995>{{cite journal |last1=Wisenden |first1=Brian D. |last2=Lanfranconi-Izawa |first2=Tanya L. |last3=Keenleyside |first3=Miles H.A. |title=Fin digging and leaf lifting by the convict cichlid, Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum: examples of parental food provisioning |journal=Animal Behaviour |date=March 1995 |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=623–631 |doi=10.1016/0003-3472(95)80195-2 |s2cid=41529998 }}</ref> and brood guarding.<ref name=Ota-2014>{{cite journal |last1=Ota |first1=Kazutaka |last2=Kohda |first2=Masanori |title=Maternal Food Provisioning in a Substrate-Brooding African Cichlid |journal=PLOS ONE |date=9 June 2014 |volume=9 |issue=6 |pages=e99094 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0099094 |pmid=24911060 |pmc=4049616 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...999094O |doi-access=free }}</ref>