Burton's mouthbrooders

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Burton's mouthbrooders
two men threatening each other

two men threatening each other

Systematics
Order : Cichliformes
Family : Cichlids (Cichlidae)
Subfamily : Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe : Haplochromini
Genre : Astatotilapia
Type : Burton's mouthbrooders
Scientific name
Astatotilapia burtoni
( Günther , 1894)

Burton's mouthbrooders ( Astatotilapia burtoni , Syn . : Haplochromis burtoni ) is a species of cichlid that occurs in the East African Lake Tanganyika , the rivers flowing into the lake and in the Lukuga , the outflow from Lake Tanganyika to the Congo . It is also found in the Upper and Middle Kagera Nile and the lakes in its catchment area, where Burton's mouthbrooders were likely introduced by humans. Burton's mouthbrooder was named after Burton Bay, which in turn was named after the British explorer Richard Francis Burton .

features

Males of Burton's mouthbrooders are generally 12 cm long with a maximum length of 15 cm. Females remain significantly smaller with a length of 7 cm. The species has the typical shape of a Haplochromis relative with a beefy head and a large, slightly upturned mouth. The body is yellowish to greenish gray or light blue in color and shows some dark horizontal stripes, which are more or less clearly visible depending on the mood. On both sides of the head there are clear blindfolds that extend from the neck to the corners of the mouth. There are also two to three horizontal dark stripes above the mouth. The lips are blue. Males show clear yellow, black-edged egg spots on the anal fin . The tail fin stalk is 1.1 to 1.2 times as long as it is high. The number of spines in the dorsal fin is 13 to 15.

Way of life

Mating and breeding.

Burton's mouthbrooders live in shallow sections of Lake Tanganyika near estuaries, in the estuaries, marshes and floodplains near the estuaries, and in slow-flowing rivers. It is an omnivore that eats insect larvae, smaller fish, diatoms , algae and various plant materials. At spawning time, the males form territory and create a shallow pit in the bottom of the water, in which the partners spawn. The eggs are then taken into the female 's mouth . After about 14 days, the fry are released from the mouth, but can still seek refuge there for some time in dangerous situations.

literature

  • Günther Sterba (Ed.), Gert Brückner: Encyclopedia of Aquaristics and Special Ichthyology. Neumann-Neudamm, Melsungen u. a. 1978, ISBN 3-7888-0252-9 .
  • Georg Zurlo: Astatotilapia burtoni (Günther, 1893). In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 101.

Web links