Aldabra dwarf bass
| Aldabra dwarf bass | ||||||||||||
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Aldabra dwarf perch ( Pseudochromis aldabraensis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pseudochromis aldabraensis | ||||||||||||
| Bauchot-Boutin , 1958 | ||||||||||||
The Aldabra dwarf perch ( Pseudochromis aldabraensis ) occurs in flat regions of the northwestern Indian Ocean , in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman to the coast of Pakistan and south to the Aldabra Islands .
features
The fish becomes eight to ten centimeters long. It is pointed-headed and elongated than most of the other members of the dwarf perch subfamily Pseudochrominae . Its basic color is orange or light red. A blue longitudinal line stretches from the region above the eye to the end of the dorsal fin, another from the mouth to the end of the gill cover . The throat is also blue. The dorsal fin is patterned blue, the caudal fin has blue edges above and below.
Way of life
The Aldabra dwarf perch lives very hidden in holes and crevices of coral reefs at depths of one to 20 meters and feeds mainly on small crustaceans.
Reproduction
Reproduction is well known from aquarium observations. The fish spawn in narrow caves. Spawning is preceded by a one to two hour courtship, during which the male swims quickly towards the female, suddenly stops just before him, and then disappears into the chosen cave. This repeats itself about every ten seconds. In the course of the mating ritual, the female continues to follow the male towards the cave, until it finally accepts the cave as a breeding space and follows the male into the cave. The actual spawning process takes up to 50 minutes and, as it takes place in the confines of the cave, cannot be observed.
After laying eggs, the male chases the female away. The eggs stick to the wall of the cave in an egg ball. A clutch contains around 1000 eggs. The male takes care of the clutch by removing fungal eggs and fanning fresh water. The fish larvae hatch after about five days with a length of 4 mm. The male's instinct for brood care then disappears. A new brood occurs after ten to 15 days. The fry reach sexual maturity at an age of nine to twelve months and a length of six centimeters.
literature
- Hans A. Baensch / Helmut Debelius : Meerwasser Atlas 1 , Mergus Verlag, Melle, ISBN 3-88244-110-0
- Dietmar Kurz: The Aldabra dwarf perch Pseudochromis aldabraensis pairing, laying eggs and rearing, pages 141–151, in Dieter Brockmann: Offspring for the coral reef aquarium. Birgit Schmettkamp Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3-928819-34-8
Web links
- Aldabra dwarf perch on Fishbase.org (English)