Heckel's cichlid

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Heckel's cichlid
Acarichthys heckeli.JPG

Heckel's cichlid ( Acarichthys heckelii )

Systematics
Order : Cichliformes
Family : Cichlids (Cichlidae)
Subfamily : Cichlinae
Tribe : Geophagini
Genre : Acarichthys
Type : Heckel's cichlid
Scientific name of the  genus
Acarichthys
Eigenmann , 1912
Scientific name of the  species
Acarichthys heckelii
( Müller & Troschel , 1849)

Heckel's cichlid ( Acarichthys heckelii ) has a wide distribution area in tropical South America . It is widespread in the Amazon and is also found in the Rio Xingu , the lower Rio Tocantins and the Essequibo in Guyana . Acarichthys heckeli is the only species in the genus Acarichthys . The generic name is made up of “Acará”, the name for cichlids in a Tupí-Guaraní language , and “ichthys” (Greek for fish), the specific epithet heckelii was given in honor of the Austrian ichthyologist Johann Jakob Heckel .

features

Heckel's cichlid becomes 13 to 25 centimeters long and has a moderately high-backed, laterally strongly flattened body and generally resembles the cichlids of the genus Geophagus . The mouth is small and can only be slightly extended. The eye is relatively far back. The basic color of Heckel's cichlid is ocher, the sides and the areas of the fins close to the body are covered with shiny dots. The posterior rays of the dorsal fin and the outer rays of the non-indented caudal fin are drawn out like filaments and reddish in color. The first three or four rays of the dorsal fin are black. There is a black or brown spot below the first sideline . The pair of fins are orange with blue fin edges. Females are smaller than males, their colors are paler and the fin filaments are not drawn out as long.

Reproduction

Heckel's cichlid spawns in a cave. The clutch, which is several hundred eggs in size, is attached to the ceiling of the cave and tended by the female while the male guards the territory . The fry hatch after three days and swim freely after another three days.

literature

  • Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 .
  • Claus Schaefer: Acarichthys heckelii (Müller & Troschel, 1848). In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 16.

Web links

Commons : Heckels Cichlid ( Acarichthys heckelii )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files