Labidochromis caeruleus
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Labidochromis caeruleus |
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| Labidochromis caeruleus | ||||||||||||
| Fryer , 1956 |
Labidochromis caeruleus ( Latin : "caeruleus" = sky blue) is a species of the cichlids (Cichlidae). Labidochromis caeruleus was described by Fryer in 1956. It has been exported as an ornamental fish since 1980 and is not considered endangered.
distribution
Labidochromis caeruleus is endemic to the northern part of Lake Malawi in East Africa and is particularly native to the coastal region of Lion's Cove and Nkatha Bay. The fish live in a water depth of 10–40 m in a rocky environment with a sandy bottom, where they find natural hiding places and suitable spawning grounds. They belong to the rock cichlids or Mbuna and are thus differentiated from species that are at home in open water.
features
Labidochromis caeruleus has a typical cichlid shape, with an elongated, laterally flattened trunk. Its mouth is small, relatively pointed and terminal. The population described in the first description is whitish blue and has six faintly visible, vertical body bars. The upper edge of the dorsal fin is white with a black band underneath. The lower half of the anal fin is black and has one or two small yellow egg spots. The pelvic fins are black with a white front edge. The color variant, which is mainly kept in aquariums, is lemon yellow with deep black dorsal, pectoral and anal fins. It is also called "Labidochromis Yellow", Gelber or "Goldener Labidochromis"
Males and females are monomorphic, so they cannot be differentiated, or only with difficulty. The color of the pectoral fins in the females is often a little lighter or completely yellow; the adult females also usually remain somewhat smaller than the males, whose size in the wild is around 9 cm, in the aquarium 8–12 cm, and a maximum of 15 cm.
- Fins formula : dorsal XVII – XVIII / 8–9, anal III / 7–8.
- Scale formula : 31–32 (mLR)
Reproduction
Like all Labidochromis , the Labidochromis caeruleus are mouthbrooders , with the female taking care of the brood. For mating, the male prepares a small pit in the sand where the eggs are laid. Immediately afterwards, the female takes the semen together with the eggs, so that fertilization takes place in the mouth. Mouthbrood care takes about three weeks, with the females eating no food. The number of young is between 5 and 15, depending on the size of the female.
Aquaristics
Labidochromis caeruleus is popular as an aquarium fish because of its bright yellow color and its relatively peaceful behavior.
literature
- Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 .
- Erwin Schraml: Labidochromis caeruleus. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. 2 volumes, Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , volume 2, p. 559.
Web links
- Labidochromis caeruleus on Fishbase.org (English)
- Labidochromis caeruleus Goldener Labidochromis on www.Aquarium-Guide.de
- Labidochromis caeruleus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Kasembe, J., 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2014.