Grammatotria lemairii

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Grammatotria lemairii
Drawing from the first description by George Albert Boulenger.

Drawing from the first description by George Albert Boulenger.

Systematics
Order : Cichliformes
Family : Cichlids (Cichlidae)
Subfamily : Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe : Ectodini
Genre : Grammatotria
Type : Grammatotria lemairii
Scientific name of the  genus
Grammatotria
Boulenger , 1899
Scientific name of the  species
Grammatotria lemairii
Boulenger, 1899

Grammatotria lemairii is a species of cichlid that is endemic to the East African Lake Tanganyika .

features

The fish have a streamlined elongated and laterally flattened body, which is covered with comb scales and becomes about 26 cm long. They are colored silvery. The head is large, the jaws strong and the mouth terminal. The teeth are conical or two-pointed and are arranged in four to six rows, with the teeth in the outer row being larger. The pharyngeal teeth are very large. The teeth sitting on the front edge of the pharyngealia are conical and those in the middle and rear are molar-shaped , with the last two being particularly large on the back of the bone. The caudal fin is forked.

In contrast to almost all other cichlids that have two lateral lines , Grammatotria lemairii has three. This feature occurs otherwise only in the genus Xenotilapia , such as Grammatotria lemairii from the Ectodini tribe .

Way of life

The external appearance of Grammatotria lemairii is reminiscent of Boulengerochromis microlepis or Bathybates and suggests a piscivorous predatory fish. However, studies of stomachs showed that the fish feed on molluscs and crustaceans . The strong, molar-like mouth teeth are used to break the hard-shelled food. Grammatotria lemairii is a semi-pelagic, fast swimmer that moves close to a depth of at least 30 meters over sandy soils in search of food. The fish are mouthbrooders . A clutch contains 60 to 90 eggs that are 4.5 mm in diameter. Details about the behavior of the fish are not known.

literature

  • Pierre Brichard: The Big Book of Tanganyika Cichlids. With all the other fish on Lake Tanganyika. Bede Verlag, 1995, ISBN 978-3927997943 . Page 277–278.

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