Ophthalmotilapia
| Ophthalmotilapia | ||||||||||||
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Ophthalmotilapia nasuta , male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ophthalmotilapia | ||||||||||||
| Pellegrin , 1904 |
Ophthalmotilapia ( Syn .: Ophthalmochromis ) is a genus of cichlids that is endemic to the East African Lake Tanganyika .
features
Ophthalmotilapia species are 15 to 20 cm long and have laterally flattened, moderately high-backed, silvery-white, yellowish, gray, bluish, olive-green or pale green bodies. It can show a weak longitudinal or transverse pattern. The eyes are big. The dorsal fin has 12 to 14 hard rays, the anal fin three, as with most cichlids. The teeth are three-pointed or three-pointed and conical teeth are mixed in the two to five rows of teeth. There may be only a single row of conical teeth on the sides of the jaw. The genus shows a striking sexual dimorphism . The dorsal and anal fins taper to a point in the males, while they are rounded in the females. Similar to Cunningtonia and Cyathopharynx , the pelvic fins of the males are so elongated that they reach to the caudal fin. The ends can taper to a point or have tassels in contrasting colors. The caudal fin is indented.
- Scale formula : SL 36-40 or 62-74.
- Gill rake 17-20.
Way of life
Ophthalmotilapia species live above rocky soils at depths of one to 30 meters and are plankton eaters. They are mouthbrooders . For spawning, the males build large spawning craters either directly on the sandy bottom or on a low or high rock that can be cleaned before the sand crater is filled.
species
There are four types :
- Ophthalmotilapia boops (Boulenger, 1901)
- Ophthalmotilapia heterodonta (Poll & Matthes, 1962)
- Ophthalmotilapia nasuta (Poll & Matthes, 1962)
- Ophthalmotilapia ventralis (Boulenger, 1898)
Numerous local forms are known which differ mainly in color and whose systematic position has not yet been clarified.
literature
- Pierre Brichard: The Big Book of Tanganyika Cichlids. With all the other fish on Lake Tanganyika. Bede Verlag, 1995, ISBN 978-3927997943 , pp. 272, 387-392.
Web links
- Ophthalmotilapia on Fishbase.org (English)