Paternal care regulates the timing, synchrony and success of hatching in a coral reef fish.

In oviparous species, the timing of hatching is a crucial decision, but for developing embryos, assessing cues that indicate the optimal time to hatch is challenging. In species with pre-hatching parental care, parents can assess environmental conditions and induce their offspring to hatch. We provide the first documentation of parental hatching regulation in a coral reef fish, demonstrating that male neon gobies () directly regulate hatching by removing embryos from the clutch and spitting hatchlings into the water column.