Elongated shaber mouth cichlid

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Elongated shaber mouth cichlid
male

male

Systematics
Order : Cichliformes
Family : Cichlids (Cichlidae)
Subfamily : Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe : Haplochromini
Genre : Labeotropheus
Type : Elongated shaber mouth cichlid
Scientific name
Labeotropheus trewavasae
Fryer , 1956

The stretched cichlid cichlid ( Labeotropheus trewavasae ) is a species of cichlid that occurs in the rocky littoral of the East African Lake Malawi . The species was named in honor of the ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas .

features

The stretched common cichlid becomes about 12 cm long. The species is very similar to the closely related common cichlid ( Labeotropheus fuelleborni ), with which it can still be hybridized , but differs from it in its more elongated shape and the laterally less flattened body. The elongated cichlid cichlid usually has two more vertebrae than Labeotropheus fuelleborni . In terms of color, the species is very variable and has even more regional populations in different colors than its relative. Males are usually bright blue and show 9 to 11 black horizontal stripes on the sides of the body. In the southern part of the lake they often have a yellowish to red dorsal fin and also anal and caudal fin. In addition, the pelvic fins are partly colored yellow. In the southeast, the entire back is reddish brown. The anal fin of males of all color forms has 4 to 5 small egg spots. Females are more blue-gray in color, but bright orange or dark spotted with a whitish yellow, yellow, light brown or pink base color also occur. Most animals have a dark band between their eyes and another between their nostrils.

Way of life

The stretched common cichlid lives in the rocky littoral of almost all of Lake Malawi. It feeds on growth and eats not only algae but also worms, crustaceans, insects and dead plant material. In contrast to other Mbuna, the stretched common cichlid does not have to stand upright when eating, but can instead eat in a "normal", horizontal posture thanks to its scraper mouth below. Elongated common cichlid cichlids are territorial and aggressive towards one another. Like almost all Malawi cichlids, they are mouthbrooders .

literature

  • Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 .
  • Erwin Schraml: Labeotropheus trewavasae. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , pp. 558 f.

Web links

Commons : Stretched Schabemundbuntbarsch  - Collection of images, videos and audio files