Bathybates
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Bathybates ferox , the type species of the genus |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bathybates | ||||||||||||
| Boulenger , 1898 |
Bathybates is a genus of cichlids that is endemic to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa.
features
Bathybates species grow to be 8 to 42 inches long and have elongated, laterally flattened, streamlined bodies and large heads with strong jaws. The fish are bluish and have a pattern of dots, vertical or horizontal stripes or larger, flat spots that is typical for the respective species. The jaws are set with shark-like, triangular and needle-pointed teeth, which are atypical for cichlids. The teeth of the inner rows of teeth are provided with a joint at their base, lie flat when the mouth is closed and are only straightened up when the mouth is opened. The dorsal fin has 13 to 17 hard rays, the anal fin three, as in most cichlids. The caudal fin is forked. Most Bathybates species have small secondary scales that are arranged in a ring around the larger primary scales and partially cover them and the channels that normally stand between the larger scales. This avoids the turbulence that occurs on uneven surfaces and the fish become more streamlined and faster.
- Scale formula : mLR 60–95
- Gill rake 8–19.
Way of life
Bathybates species live in pelagic schools and feed piscivor mainly on the two types of herring found in Lake Tanganyika ( Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae ). They spawn over sandy areas near the shore. After spawning, the female takes the eggs, which have a diameter of about 6 mm to 8.5 mm, into the mouth (mouth brooders ). The fry mingle with the schools of sand cichlids ( Callochromis , Ectodus , Xenotilapia ) living near the shore until they are about 8 cm long and adopt the way of life of their parents.
species
There are seven types :
- Bathybates fasciatus Boulenger, 1901
- Bathybates ferox Boulenger, 1898
- Bathybates graueri Steindachner, 1911
- Bathybates hornii Steindachner, 1911
- Bathybates Leo Poll, 1956
- Bathybates minor Boulenger, 1906
- Bathybates vittatus Boulenger, 1914
literature
- Pierre Brichard: The Big Book of Tanganyika Cichlids. With all the other fish on Lake Tanganyika. Bede Verlag, 1995, ISBN 978-3927997943 . Page 274, 278-279.
Web links
- Bathybates on Fishbase.org (English)