Moonlight gourami
| Moonlight gourami | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Moonlight Gourami ( Trichopodus microlepis ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Trichopodus microlepis | ||||||||||||
| ( Günther , 1861) |
The moonlight threadfish ( Trichopodus microlepis , syn .: Trichogaster microlepis ) is a labyrinth fish widespread on the Southeast Asian mainland and the only representative of the " Eastern threadfish " without body markings.
features
Moonlight threadfish are stately freshwater fish that reach a total length of up to 18 centimeters. At its widest point, between the base of the dorsal fin and the anus , its elongated body is even higher than that of the mosaic threadfish . The back profile of adult specimens of both sexes rises relatively steeply above the eye, giving the impression of a saddle nose. The monochrome body shines due to the comparatively many small scales, depending on the incidence of light, silvery to turquoise blue, in male specimens sometimes also blue-violet. The eye of adult moonlight threadfish is intensely red. The caudal fin is slightly indented. The moonlight gourami also differs from all its relatives in its particularly long "threads" that give it its name: the ventral fins , which have been converted into tactile and taste sensors, can be one and a half times the total length. Females carry light orange "threads", in adult males they are bright orange-red. In addition to the clear body through spawning, the females can be easily recognized by their short and round dorsal fin. Male moonlight threadfish have a less rounded dorsal fin that reaches up to the base of the caudal fin. Sometimes, and not in all males, the area around the base of the pelvic fins turns slightly orange-red.
Fin formula : Dorsal III-IV / 8–10, anal X – XI / 34–40.
ecology
The home of the moonlight threadfish is believed to be Cambodia , Laos and Myanmar . The fact that the species is also relatively widespread in Thailand is very likely due to its popularity as a food fish . Moonlight threadfish are found almost exclusively in the shallow zones of standing or slowly flowing, shaded or densely overgrown waters. The water in their habitats is usually soft and slightly acidic. Moonlight threadfish feed mainly on mollusks , small crustaceans , insects and insect larvae . It has only been observed several times in aquariums that this species also consumes large amounts of plant food, namely the soft leaves of floating and aquatic plants.
Reproduction
As with all other threadfish species, reproductive males occupy a breeding area and build a foam nest in the center . Moonshine threadfish build their nests to a large extent from pieces of plants that they bond and glue with their foam bubbles. The nests are large (up to 30 cm²) and protrude very clearly above the water surface. Under his nest, the male woos a female ready to spawn, and courtship and egg delivery also take place directly under the nest . The tiny eggs are lighter than water and float under the nest on their own. In contrast to the sister species, the eggs are not carried together by the male in one place, but are merely supported by additional layers of foam. The larvae, which are provided with a large supply of yolk , hatch after a little more than 24 hours and swim free after two to three days, which ends the brood care by the male.
Importance to humans
The large and powerfully built moonlight threadfish are very popular food fish. They are caught with nets and offered for sale either alive or freshly dead. First introduced to Europe in 1952 by the import company "Aquarium Hamburg", moonlight threadfish are popular, but rarely offered and rarely kept aquarium fish .
Systematics
The German ichthyologist and later director of the zoological department of the Natural History Museum in London , Albert Günther , described the moonlight gourami in 1861 on the basis of a single type as Osphromenus microlepis from Cambodia ( Cochinchina ). Further synonym descriptions are Trichopus parvipinnis Sauvage 1876 (type material from South Vietnam , where the species was no longer detected afterwards) and Deschauenseeia chryseus Fowler 1934 (type material from Bangkok , Thailand). In addition, the species was listed variously under the inapplicable generic names Trichopsis , Trichogaster and Colisa . The generic name indicates the thread-like ventral fins ("Thrix" = "hair", "Pous" = "foot or fin"). The adjectivistic species name means: with small scales. Together with the pearl gourami ( Trichopodus leerii ), the dotted gourami ( Trichopodus trichopterus ) and the blade gourami ( Trichopodus pectoralis ), the moonlight gourami forms the group of the "Eastern thread fish".
swell
- Kottelat, M. (1984): A review of the species of Indochinese fresh-water fishes described by HE Sauvage . Bulletin du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle Ser. 4: Section A: Zoologie Biologie et Ecologie Animales v. 6 (no. 4): 791-822.
- Kottelat, M. (2001): Fishes of Laos . WHT Publications (Pte) Ltd. Fishes of Laos .: 1–198., Pls. 1-48, figs. 1-65.
- Wakiyama, A., H. Kohno & Y. Taki (1997): Genetic relationships of anabantoid fishes . Journal of the Tokyo University of Fisheries v. 83 (nos. 1-2): 93-102.
Individual evidence
- ^ Günther, A. (1861): Catalog of the fishes in the British Museum. Catalog of the acanthopterygian fishes in the collection of the British Museum. 3. Gobiidae, Discoboli, Pediculati, Blenniidae, Labyrinthici, Mugilidae, Notacanthi . London. Catalog of the fishes in the British Museum . v. 3: i-xxv + 1-586 + ix.
- ^ Sauvage, HE (1876): Sur quelques poissons des eaux douces du Laos cambodgia. Bulletin de la Société philomathique de Paris (6th Série) v. 13: 97-100. [Also as a separate, pp. 1–4.]
- ↑ Fowler, HW (1934): Zoological results of the third De Schauensee Siamese Expedition, Part I .-- Fishes . Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia v. 86: 67-163, Pl.12.
further reading
- Michael Kokoscha: Labyrinth Fish . Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-7431-6 .
- Jörg Vierke: Labyrinth fish . Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung W. Keller & Co., Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-440-05594-9 .
Web links
- Trichopodus microlepis on Fishbase.org (English)
- Moonlight gourami on aquarium-online.info