Chiapaheros grammodes
| Chiapaheros grammodes | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Chiapaheros | ||||||||||||
| McMahan & Piller , 2015 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Chiapaheros grammodes | ||||||||||||
| ( Taylor & Miller , 1980) |
Chiapaheros grammodes ( Syn .: Cichlasoma grammodes ) is a cichlid species that occurs on the Caribbean side of Central America from the Río Grijalva in the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco to the Rio Lagartero near Huehuetenango in Guatemala .
features
Chiapaheros grammodes becomes a maximum of 25 cm long and resembles the so-called "guapotes", the cichlids of the genera Parachromis and Petenia , in its external appearance and morphological features . The trunk and head are elongated, the tail stalk is strong. The large mouth, with noticeably large fangs, is surrounded by well-developed lips. In contrast to Parachromis and Petenia, the maxillary of Chiapaheros does not extend to the front edge of the orbit . The basic color of the fish is gray or olive yellow with a greenish, turquoise or brass-colored sheen. In the case of the males, red-brown spots on the scales result in regularly arranged longitudinal rows, while the scales of the females have a red border and together form a network pattern. Depending on the mood, a dark longitudinal band and spots on the sides of the body or the tail stalk may also be visible. Males in an aggressive mood lose all drawing patterns. They become slightly larger than the females and have longer fins. Diagnostic features of species and genus are thin, dark lines (usually seven) between the eyes and mouth in combination with the elongated head profile. The epithet grammodes ( Gr .: “gramme” = line) also refers to these lines .
Way of life
Chiapaheros grammodes lives in the upper and middle reaches of rivers with moderate to strong currents and in lakes. The species prefers clean, clear water with a high oxygen content. Chiapaheros grammodes is territorial and an open breeder . During courtship, the female is dark in color and brightens up after spawning. At a temperature of 26 ° C, the fish larvae hatch five days after spawning and swim free after six days. In the male-mother family that makes up the species, the female takes care of the brood alone, while the male defends the territory. The young fish eat, among other things, the particularly thick epidermis of their parents.
literature
- Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staek: American cichlids II, large cichlids. Tetra-Verlag, Bissendorf 1997, ISBN 3-89745-101-8 , page 354.
- Caleb D. McMahan, Wilfredo A. Matamoros, Kyle R. Piller & Prosanta Chakrabarty: Taxonomy and systematics of the herichthyins (Cichlidae: Tribe Heroini), with the description of eight new Middle American Genera. Zootaxa 3999 (2): 211-234. doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa.3999.2.3
Web links
- Chiapaheros grammodes on Fishbase.org (English)