Green swallowtail
| Green swallowtail | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Green swallowtail ( Chromis viridis ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chromis viridis | ||||||||||||
| ( Cuvier , 1830) | ||||||||||||
The Green swallowtails ( Chromis viridis , Syn. : Chromis caerulea ) is a species from the family of damselfish (Pomacentridae).
A similar species is the black- axed swallowtail ( Chromis atripectoralis ), which has a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fins.
Distribution and way of life
The fish live in the coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific , from East Africa to the islands of Oceania (not in Hawaii ).
They live in large schools over bush-shaped hard corals , mostly of the Acropora genus , at depths of one to twelve meters. They are constantly busy hunting zooplankton . A scientific study has shown that the animals ingest a food particle about every two seconds. If a predator emerges, e.g. B. a group perch (Cirrhitidae), the animals flee between stones or coral branches. When the danger is over, the small animals appear first, and later the large animals too, to continue eating. The green swallowtail becomes seven to nine centimeters long.
Reproduction
In the green swallowtail, a male spawns with several females in a cave. The males fan the eggs with fresh water and eat dead ones. After two to three days, the larvae hatch and initially live pelagically before moving on to reef-related life as juveniles. The fish were also bred in the aquarium .
Aquaristics
The green swallowtail is a very popular ornamental fish in saltwater aquariums, and it is often offered. Unlike many other damselfish, it is not overly aggressive and can be kept in a small school. However, it is not that easy to keep, since it is a permanent eater and its digestive system is not adjusted to the normally only two to three feedings a day. To improve posture one can feeder daytime hourly give a small portion of food.
literature
- Gerald R. Allen: Damselfish of the World. Mergus Verlag, Melle 1991, ISBN 3-88244-007-4
- E. Thaler, B. Grienberger, A. Niederkofler: Green swallowtail (Chromis viridis) and three-banded Prussian fish (Dascyllus aruanus): Acquiring food in open water and in the aquarium. In: 4th International Sea Water Symposium 1997. Publisher: Association of German Associations for Aquarium and Terrarium Studies e. V.
Web links
- Green Swallowtail on Fishbase.org (English)