Aristochromis christyi
| Aristochromis christyi | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Aristochromis | ||||||||||||
| Trewavas , 1935 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Aristochromis christyi | ||||||||||||
| Trewavas, 1935 |
Aristochromis christyi is a species of African cichlid that is endemic to the East African Lake Malawi . The species was named after Cuthbert Christy , whocollectedfish for the British Museum in Africa.
features
Aristochromis christyi can be 25 to 30 cm long and has an elongated, laterally strongly flattened body, the length of which is about three times the body height. The back line is slightly curved, the profile of the abdomen straight to the anal fin, then rising to the caudal peduncle. The head has a steep profile, is strongly flattened on the sides and is reminiscent of the head of knife- wrasse of the genus Xyrichtys . The muzzle is the same length or slightly shorter than the part of the head behind the eyes. The mouth extends below the eye, the upper jaw protrudes a little. The teeth are small, conical and stand in the front jaw sections in three to four rows. The pharyngeal teeth are also small. There are 10 to 12 gill rakes on the lower section of the first gill arch . The cheeks have five to seven rows of scales.
- Fins formula : Dorsal XV – XVII / 11–13, Anale III / 9–11.
- Scale formula : mLR 34–36
Females and fry of Aristochromis christyi are yellowish to gray and have transparent fins. Males are blue-green with a metallic shimmering head, a bluish dorsal fin, a bluish, slightly reddish shimmering caudal fin and a yellowish to reddish anal fin patterned with numerous egg spots . Both sexes show two dark longitudinal bands, a narrower one lies directly below the dorsal fin, the second wider one runs from the "neck" to the tail stalk.
Way of life
Aristochromis christyi is a piscivorous predatory fish that lives mainly on rocky coasts and in the transition zone between rocky and sandy coasts at depths of two to ten meters. When hunting, the species often lies on the ground on one side of the body, imitating a dying fish and then slowly moves towards the prey fish in order to snap at lightning-fast when it comes close enough. Or, lying on its side, it sucks in young fish that have fled under stones. Like almost all cichlids in Lake Malawi, Aristochromis christyi is a mouthbrooder . The female protects eggs and larvae in the mouth for about three weeks and protects the free-swimming fry for about three more weeks.
literature
- Ethelwynn Trewavas: A Synopsis of the Cichlid Fishes of Lake Nyasa . From the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Ser. 10, vol. xvi. p. 65, July 1935.
- Erwin Schraml: Aristochromis christyi. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 95.
Web links
- Aristochromis christyi on Fishbase.org (English)