mouthbrooding occurs where both parents take some of the eggs. This is relatively rare, but is found among the cichlid genus Xenotilapia, and a single catfish, the spatula-barbled catfish (Phyllonemus typus).

Typically, after courtship, the male fertilises the eggs and then collects them in his mouth, holding onto them until they hatch. During this time he cannot feed. Among the maternal mouthbrooding cichlids,