[mouth-bree-der] 
| 1. | any of several fishes of the genera Tilapia and Haplochromis, that hatch and care for their young in the mouth. |
| 2. | any of several fishes in various genera of the Anabantidae, Apogonidae, Cichlidae, and other teleost fish families that hold their eggs or young in their mouths. |
| mouth·breed·er (mouth'brē'dər) n. Any of various fishes, especially of the genera Haplochromis and Tilapia, that carry their eggs and young in the mouth. |
mouthbreeder
any fish that breeds its young in the mouth. Examples include certain catfishes and cardinal fishes. The male of the sea catfish Galeichthys felis places up to 50 fertilized eggs in its mouth and retains them until they are hatched and the young are two or more weeks old. The cardinal fish Apogon imberbis incubates the eggs in the pharynx. Both the male and female Symphysodon discus take turns mouthing the eggs
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