Lamprologus meleagris
| Lamprologus meleagris | ||||||||||||
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Lamprologus meleagris |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lamprologus meleagris | ||||||||||||
| Büscher , 1991 |
Lamprologus meleagris is a species of fish family of cichlids (Cichlidae). The species occurs exclusively in the African Lake Tanganyika and has onlybeen detectedthere from the west bank on the Congolese side of Lake Tanganyika. The type epithet is derived from Meleager , a figure from Greek mythology , and refers to the guinea fowl-like drawing. Meleagros died after his mother cursed him for killing his two uncles while fighting over a hunt. His sisters cried so much for him that they turned into guinea fowl.
features
Lamprologus meleagris is a small cichlid with a compact, laterally flattened body. Males reach a body length of about 5.2 cm, females stay up to 4 cm smaller. The basic color of the body is olive to olive brown. All over the body there are rows of bluish iridescent small spots, which are also found on all fins, with the exception of the pectoral fins. Depending on the mood, brownish larger spots also appear. There is a noticeable black spot on the gill cover . The upper edge of the eye protrudes above the head profile. The teeth are single-pointed, curved inwards and stand in several rows, 70 in the outer row of the upper jaw. The pelvic fins and caudal fin are rounded.
- Fin formula : dorsal XVII / 8, anal IX / 5–7.
- Scale formula 27–32 (mLR)
Way of life
Lamprologus meleagris lives in the transition zone between cliffs and sandy areas, and comes as a typical shell dwellers only at places before where empty snail shells of the genus Neothauma lying in the sand. A male can live in a harem community with several females. The eggs are laid in a snail shell inhabited by a female; the male, which is usually too large to fit inside, inseminates them at the opening of the shell. After 8 to 9 days, the young animals leave the maternal snail shell.
literature
- Büscher, Heinz H .; 1991; "New snail cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. Lamprologus meleagris n. Sp. And L. speciosus n. Sp. (Cichlidae, Lamprologini)"; The aquarium and terrarium magazine ( DATZ ); 44 (6); Pp. 374-382 (crc00045).
Web links
- Lamprologus meleagris on Fishbase.org (English)