Hoplarchus psittacus
| Hoplarchus psittacus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hoplarchus psittacus |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Hoplarchus | ||||||||||||
| Kaup , 1860 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Hoplarchus psittacus | ||||||||||||
| ( Heckel , 1840) |
Hoplarchus psittacus is a large species of cichlid that occurs in northern South America in the tributaries of the Upper Orinoco and in the northern Amazon basin , especially in the border region of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil and southwest of it between Rio Negro and Rio Trombetas .
features
Hoplarchus psittacus becomes 33 to 40 centimeters long, the females remain smaller than the males. The body is oval and laterally flattened. The head is rounded and its shape is reminiscent of a parrot's beak. The eyes are large, the terminal mouth is deep. The basic color is gray-green. Depending on where it was found, there is a more or less pronounced green or blue metallic sheen on the sides of the body. They also show six broad and dark transverse bands and a longitudinal row of individual dark dots, which are sometimes connected by a narrow longitudinal strip, can also be seen, alternatively large-scale marbling forms. The blackish drawing pattern changes depending on the mood. On the tail stalk, just above the second lateral line , there is a constant dark spot. There is another spot at the back of the eyes and at the top of the gill slit. In adult fish, the throat can turn a distinct red color, in younger specimens it is yellowish. Both sexes look the same, apart from the maximum size, there is no gender dimorphism .
Way of life
Hoplarchus psittacus is an inhabitant of black water rivers but also of lakes and swamps with corresponding water values. It feeds on small fish, crustaceans and water-dwelling insects. Like all related cichlids, Hoplarchus psittacus are likely substrate spawners and lay their eggs on hard ground in large pits they have dug themselves.
Systematics
The cichlid species was described as Heros psittacus by the Austrian zoologist and ichthyologist Johann Jakob Heckel in 1840 and transferred to the newly introduced genus Hoplarchus in 1860 by the German zoologist Johann Jakob Kaup , which has since remained monotypical . The generic name Hoplarchus refers to the five strong spiked rays of the anal fin, which begins immediately behind the anus ( Gr .: " hoplon " = weapon + Greek, "archos" = anus). The species epithet psittacus draws attention to the local name “Acara paragua”, which means parrot cichlid and is supposed to refer to the coloration. Within the tribe of Heroini it is probably the closest related to the genus Hypselecara .
literature
- Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staek: American cichlids II, large cichlids. Tetra-Verlag, Bissendorf 1997, ISBN 3-8974-5101-8 .
- Claus Schaefer: Hoplarchus psittacus. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 484.
Web links
- Hoplarchus psittacus on Fishbase.org (English)