Could this be an egg spot?

[CMC]

I have a solid bright yellow (I'm assuming female from what I've read) Johanni about 3" long. Just in the past 3 days I've noticed one little white dot on the very end of it's bottom fin (where the other ones have egg spots). At first I panicked and thought it was the beginning of ick but it hasn't gotten any worse in the past 3 days and none of the other fish in the tank have any white dots on them so I'm pretty confident it's not ick. Could an egg spot have developed on her fin? She has no other spots or markings whatsoever. I'm not really sure exactly what the purpose of an egg spot is but I thought only the males had them. I checked the water and everything there is fine. Any ideas?

 

[thecichlidaddict]

You can't get a picture can you?

 

[CMC]

I've been trying to get a picture of it but it won't stay still long enough and the pictures turn out blurred. As of today, the white spot is still there and I'm confident it's an egg spot. In the past two days it has also become very territorial. It has it's own little cave that it dug under one of the rocks and the other fish don't dare come near it or they will be chased away.

I've heard and read conflicting information about egg spots. Some say only the males have them but then someone at one of our lfs said that females can have them too. I don't know what to believe. I'm really curious to know what purpose the egg spot serves.

As soon as I get a decent pic of it, I'll post it.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

It's more common among males but females can absolutely have egg spots.

There is a theory that the females, thinking that the egg spots are actually eggs, try to take them in her mouth, and that's when they get fertilized. I don't know how true it is but mouthbrooders without them seem to breed just fine.

 

[vantgE]

i read that with kennyi maylandia lombardoi ones with two eggspots are rare because females that prefer males with single spots