Three-lined dwarf cichlid
| Three-lined dwarf cichlid | ||||||||||||
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male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Apistogramma trifasciata | ||||||||||||
| ( Eigenmann & Kennedy , 1903) |
The three-lined dwarf cichlid ( Apistogramma trifasciata ) is a small species of cichlid that occurs in central South America from the Rio Guaporé on the border between Brazil and Bolivia to the lower reaches of the Río Paraguay and Río Paraná . The southernmost location is near the Argentine city of Santa Fe on the Río Paraná.
features
Male three-lined dwarf cichlids reach a maximum length of 8 cm, females stay significantly smaller with a maximum of 5 cm. The three dark stripes on the sides of the body give the species its name ( trifasciata = three stripes). In addition to a black stripe on the cheeks and a longitudinal stripe that runs through the eye to the base of the tail, starting at the upper lip, there is also a third stripe. This extends from the upper pectoral fin attachment to the attachment of the anal fin and is often only very faintly visible. Otherwise, the females are gray-olive and lemon-yellow in color during the breeding season. Males have a blue-green glossy body, a darker back and a whitish to light yellow belly. Their scales have dark edges. Depending on where it was found, the color may be slightly different. In general, specimens from soft, acidic waters are more colorful. While males from medium-hard, alkaline water have short dorsal fins, the fin membranes of the second to fourth dorsal fin rays in males from soft and acidic waters are long.
- Fin formula : dorsal XV – XVI / 6–7, anal III / 5–6.
- Scale formula 23–24 (mLR), 7–11 / 12 (SL).
Habitat and Reproduction
The three-lined dwarf cichlid occurs in clear and white water rivers in a very large distribution area. He always lives in the protection of dense stands of plants, which consist of aquatic, swamp or floating plants. The water in the distribution area is soft (<1–5 ° dH ) and has a pH value of 6.0 to 7.6, the water temperature is 24 to 29 ° C. Frequent companion fish are Borellis dwarf cichlid ( Apistogramma borellii ) and Apistogramma commbrae , the blood tetra ( Hyphessobrycon eques ) and the killifish Pterolebias longipinnis and Pterolebias phasianus .
The fish are hide-out spawners who lay around 60 to 100 eggs. Males have a harem that usually consists of three females. 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 , pp. 161-164.
- Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 , p. 688.
Web links
- Apistogramma trifasciata on Fishbase.org (English)