Figure 1.

Tessellated darter embryos recovered from the stomachs of cannibalistic nesting males. Such remains suggest that the embryos were generally in good health before being eaten and probably had been free of fungal disease (see ref. 18). (a) This embryo (displaying spotted pigment areas) was retrieved from the stomach of its biological father; the yolk sac can be seen above the prominent eyes and below the long curved tail. (b) This embryo and egg case, also retrieved from the stomach of its sire, was cemented to a small piece of black wood from the nest, suggesting that it may have been attached to the nest at the time of consumption (see text).