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Nest Defense against Predators by the Male Fringed Darter (Etheostoma crossopterum)

Abstract We examined the effect of nest guarding by the male Fringed Darter (Etheostoma crossopterum) on egg predation by the Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus), the Southern Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera), and a species of crayfish (Orconectes margorectus). When male E. crossopterum were removed from nests, both P. notatus and O. margorectus consumed a greater percentage of eggs than when the male was present. Although E. cirrigera consumed eggs during one trial, results suggest that this species may not be as consistent a predation threat as are the minnow and crayfish. These results indicate that male E. crossopterum provide parental care to developing embryos in the form of defense against predators and provide support for a previously untested hypothesis for nest guarding darters.