Epibenthic

Epibenthic (epifaunal or epifloral): Living on the surface of the bottom.
Epidemic Spawning: Simultaneous shedding of gametes by a large number of individuals.

They, like other Melanochromis, are commonly found over small and medium sized rocks feeding on zooplankton, epibenthic invertebrates, and Aufwuchs. Aufwuchs refers to tough stringy algae that is attached to rocks.

Upon attaching to a shellfish, wave action causes the shellfish to be "uprooted" and the currents wash it ashore. This species is commonly found in calm, protected waters. Locally, I tend to find it attached to some of our more common epibenthic ...

See also: Benthic, Water, Spawning, Species, Plankton