LAUSR

In some species, siblings aggressively compete for limited resources. Such aggressive competition can affect siblings’ survival probabilities and hence the reproductive success of their parents. Therefore, parents should have an incentive to reduce such aggressive interactions. Here, I report for the first time mother interference towards aggressive sibling competition in the shell-brooding cichlid Lamprologus ornatipinnis. The mother approached the fighting juveniles vigorously and chased them around. Consequently, severe fighting between the two juveniles was halted. I discuss the function of this maternal interference behaviour towards sibling aggression in comparison to mammal and bird species. This first observation bears the potential to inspire future research on parental interference toward sibling aggression in a hitherto overlooked group of brood-caring vertebrates.