Observations and evolutionary considerations on trophic egg provisioning in snakeheads (Teleostei: Channidae)

The provisioning of trophic eggs is exceedingly rare in fish, with only a single example of a species exhibiting this behaviour reported in the scientific literature: the Lake Malawi catfish Bagrus meridionalis. However, observations in captivity suggest that the behaviour is widespread and likely universal among all species within the most species-rich lineage of Channa. The evolution of trophic eggs could have led to the large adaptive radiation found in the C. gachua Group, which comprises almost half of the species diversity within the genus.营养卵（trophic eggs）供给行为在鱼类中极为罕见，目前科学文献仅报道过1个展现该行为的物种：马拉维湖鲶鱼Bagrus meridionalis。不过人工饲养条件下的观测结果表明，该行为在鳢属（Channa）物种最丰富的演化支内广泛分布，且极有可能在该演化支的所有物种中普遍存在。营养卵供给行为的演化或许促成了线鳢组（C. gachua Group）的大规模适应辐射，该类群几乎占据了鳢属全部物种多样性的一半。