Neolamprologus modestus
| Neolamprologus modestus | ||||||||||||
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Drawing from the first description |
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| Neolamprologus modestus | ||||||||||||
| ( Boulenger , 1898) |
Neolamprologus modestus ( synonym : Lamprologus modestus ) is a cichlid species that is endemic to the south of Lake Tanganyika .
features
Males of Neolamprologus modestus reach a maximum length of 12 cm; Females stay a little smaller at 10 cm. The fish are elongated and have a gray-beige to gray-brown colored body with a slightly lighter underside and sometimes show five to six indistinct horizontal stripes on the sides of the body. The mouth is terminal and pointed. The four front teeth are just as long as the canines, strong and blunt. The teeth on the pharyngealia are molar-shaped and probably serve to crack snail shells. The fins are lined with pale blue. The dorsal fin has more than 15 hard rays, the anal fin 5 or 6. In contrast to Neolamprologus mondabu , which has a concave indented caudal fin, the caudal fin of Neolamprologus modestus is slightly rounded.
- Scale formula 33-37 (mLR)
Lifestyle space and way of life
Neolamprologus modestus occurs only in the south of Lake Tanganyika, is one of the most common species there and lives as solitary animals or in small groups. In the north of the lake the species is replaced by the very similar Neolamprologus mondabu . The animals live on rocky coasts, but migrate to the sand zone to reproduce. They are cave spawners and build a sloping, deep tunnel in an open sandy area to lay their eggs. The entrance is supported by a stone or a larger snail shell. Stomach examinations revealed shell remains of small snail species that occur in Lake Tanganyika ( Chytra kirki , Spekia zonata , Paramelania demoni and Tanganycia rufofilosa ). In addition, Neolamprologus modestus eats the spawn of the Tanganyika light-eyed fish ( Lamprichthys tanganicanus ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Pierre Brichard: The Great Book of Tanganyika Cichlids. With all the other fish on Lake Tanganyika. Bede Verlag, 1995, ISBN 978-3927997943 , pages 350, 351 u. 372.
- ↑ a b Neolamprologus modestus on Fishbase.org (English)
- ^ Soren Neergaard: Tanganyika - Cichlids. Kernen Verlag, 1982, ISBN 3-8740-1005-8