Haplochromis retrodens
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| ( Hilgendorf , 1888) |
Haplochromis retrodens ( Syn .: Hoplotilapia retrodens ) is a species of cichlid that is endemic to the East African Lake Victoria , but mayhave already been extinctdue to the Nile Perch disaster .
features
The fish species can reach a total length of 14 to 17 cm. Males have a dark green-gray basic color, throat ( Branchiostegalmembranen ) and breast are black. The dorsal fin is also dark green-gray, the fin membranes show red dots and lines, their tips are red. The anal fin is dark, its tip red. She wears yellow egg spots. The pelvic fins are black, the caudal fin black and red lined. Females are light, olive colored on the back. This color becomes increasingly yellowish or silvery towards the belly. A dark longitudinal stripe extends from the gill cover to the caudal peduncle. Another, weaker and interrupted dark longitudinal stripe lies below the dorsal fin. The female's dorsal and caudal fins are olive-colored, the paired fins are yellow, the anal fin is colorless, and the lips are also yellow. Egg spots on the anal fin may be present or absent. In addition to the normal form described, there is also a black and white and an OB morph (orange-black spotted) among female animals .
Haplochromis retrodens differs from other Haplochromis species primarily in its teeth. In both jaws there are 5 to 10 wide bands of uniform, mostly single-pointed teeth. The outer tooth band is not separated from the inner one by a clear gap. The lower jaw is wide and flat, slightly shorter than the upper jaw and almost rectangular in shape.
Way of life
Haplochromis retrodens lives close to the coast on firm, often overgrown soil and feeds primarily on snails and mussels, as well as mayfly larvae (Ephemeroptera), caddis fly larvae (Trichoptera), mosquito larvae (Chironomidae), small crustaceans and water mites (Hydrachnidiae). Like all Haplochromis species, Haplochromis retrodens is a mouthbrooder .
Danger
The stocks of Haplochromis retrodens have plummeted dramatically since the 1980s. The reason is the introduction of the piscivorous Nile perch ( Lates niloticus ) by humans. The species has not been seen in the lake since 1991 and may have become extinct. However, there may still be small populations in protected areas of the lake. The IUCN therefore classifies Haplochromis retrodens as endangered (Vulnerable). In addition to being stalked by the Nile perch, potential remnants of Haplochromis retrodens are endangered by hybridization with other Haplochromis species, as the reduced depth of visibility of the water due to increasing water pollution makes it difficult to identify the species and choose the right sexual partner. There are no more aquarium stocks of Haplochromis retrodens with which one could try to preserve the species from extinction through conservation breeding .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Erwin Schraml: Haplochromis (Hoplotilapia) retrodens. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 440.
- ^ MJP van Oijen: The generic classification of the haplochromine cichlids of Lake Victoria, East Africa. Zool. Verh. Leiden 302, 15.ii.1996: 57-110, ISSN 0024-1652 , ISBN 90-73239-44-3 .
- ↑ Haplochromis retrodens on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ Haplochromis retrodens in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2016. Posted by: Witte, F., de Zeeuw, MP & Brooks, E., 2010. Accessed October 6, 2016.
Web links
- Haplochromis retrodens on Fishbase.org (English)