Commensalism between cichlid fishes through differential tolerance of guarding parents toward intruders

In the shallow waters of Lake Tanganyika, a benthic cichlid Xenotilapia boulengeri rests in a cluster around the nesting sites of substrate-brooding cichlids Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus and L. elongatus. Experimental removal of parent Lepidiolamprologus guarding free-swimming young drastically reduced the number of X. boulengeri around these nesting sites within a few days, suggesting that their presence has a positive effect on attracting X. boulengeri. Xenotilapia boulengeri were less frequently disturbed by the scale-eating cichlids Perissodus microlepis and Plecodus straeleni when they remained near nesting sites of these species than when stayed away. This was attributed to the territorial behaviour of guarding parents who drove away scale-eaters at greater distances, while allowing X. boulengeri, harmless to their young, to approach the nesting site. It is concluded that a clumped distribution of X. boulengeri results from differential tolerance of breeding parents toward intruders that produces a safety zone from scale-eaters.