Black-throated dwarf cichlid
| Black-throated dwarf cichlid | ||||||||||||
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Apistogramma viejita |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Apistogramma viejita | ||||||||||||
| Kullander , 1979 |
The black-throated dwarf cichlid ( Apistogramma viejita ) is a small species of cichlid that occurs in the catchment area of the Río Meta in the Colombian Departamento del Meta .
features
The fish resemble the closely related species Villavicencio dwarf cichlid ( Apistogramma macmasteri ) and red line Apistogramma ( A. hongsloi ) and are difficult to distinguish from them. The species is named after the black throat, which the females show in their golden-yellow brood color. Also black are a longitudinal stripe along the midline of the abdomen, an anal spot, an interrupted longitudinal stripe on the sides of the body, another on the lower edge of the dorsal fin, a spot on the caudal peduncle, the anterior rays of the pelvic fins and dorsal fin and a cheek band that extends from the Eye extends obliquely back to the lower edge of the gill cover. In the males, the anterior pelvic fin rays and the rear, soft-rayed sections of the dorsal and anal fin are drawn out. They show a longitudinal stripe formed by dark scales, which extends from the eye to the tail stalk. Above the longitudinal stripe they are olive to beige, below whitish to rosy. Depending on where it was found, the tail can be yellowish or reddish. The gill cover can be speckled red or unpatterned. Males reach a maximum length of 8 cm, females stay significantly smaller with a maximum of 5 cm.
Habitat and Reproduction
The black-throated dwarf cichlid is found in small bodies of water in the Colombian Llanos . The distribution area is south of the Río Meta and extends over a length of about 250 km. It is relatively dry, is characterized by green meadows and people use it to raise cattle. The fish live in shallow water in small flowing or standing bodies of water. There they stay between aquatic plants or between bank plants that extend into the water. Accompanying the fish cichlids are Aequidens metae , Mesonauta festivus and Satanoperca daemon that tetras Petitella rhodostomus , Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis , Hyphessobrycon sweglesi and Pyrrhulina -Art.
The fish are hideout spawners who lay around 60 to 80 eggs. They form a male-mother family in which the female initially takes care of the brood alone, while the male defends the territory. Only in the second to third week after hatching does the male take part in direct brood care.
literature
- Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staek: American cichlids I, small cichlids. Tetra-Verlag, Bissendorf 1997, ISBN 3-8935-6153-6 , pages 169-175.
Web links
- Apistogramma viejita on Fishbase.org (English)