Madagascar pike
| Madagascar pike | ||||||||||||
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Madagascar pike ( Pachypanchax omalonotus ), red color form |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pachypanchax omalonotus | ||||||||||||
| ( Duméril , 1861) |
The Madagascar pike ( Pachypanchax omalonotus , syn .: P. homalonotus , P. nuchimaculatus ) is a species of fish from the Aplocheilidae family that occurs in Madagascar . As an ornamental fish , it is important for aquaristics , but is kept relatively rarely. The Latin epithet omalonotus comes from the Greek, means "with a straight back" and refers to the shape of the surface fish .
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the Madagascar pike is limited to the island of Nosy Be , the river area of the Sambirano in the immediately adjacent mainland and some smaller coastal rivers on the Ankify peninsula .
On Nosy Be it lives in the fresh water of the upper and middle reaches of smaller rivers and streams. On the mainland it inhabits both shady rivers and shallow, swampy lakes in the floodplain of the Sambirano.
features
The external appearance of the Madagascar pike, which can grow up to nine centimeters in size, corresponds to the typical shape of representatives of the genus Pachypanchax , only the caudal fin is more spade-shaped and the dorsal and anal fin taper off at a point. The sides are emerald green with a reddish border around the scales. The anal and caudal fins are lined with light yellow or white below. There is also a variation with a predominantly red color.
- Dorsal II – III / 9–11
- Anal II-III / 14-17
- Pectorals 12-16
- Ventral I / 5
The Madagascar pike differs only slightly from Pachypanchax sakaramyi . The two species can also be crossed without restriction.
Way of life
The internally quite incompatible Madagascar pike feeds mainly on invertebrates . These are either collected as approach food on the surface of the water or caught on the bottom of the water. The larvae hatch after about two weeks from the spawn deposited in delicate plants close to the surface. When observed in captivity, the females lay about 20 of the eggs, each 1.5 millimeters in diameter.
literature
- Werner Neumann: Pachypanchax nuchimaculatus (Guichenot, 1866) , Pachypanchax omalonotus (Dumeril, 1861) and Pachypanchax sakaramyi. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 736.
- Frank Glaw , Miguel Vences : A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar. 2nd Edition. Vences & Glaws, Cologne 1994, ISBN 3-929449-01-3 .
- Paul V. Loiselle: A review of the Malagasy Pachypanchax (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae), with descriptions of four new species. (PDF; 691 kB) Magnolia, Auckland 2006, ISSN 1175-5334 .
Web links
- Madagascar pike on Fishbase.org (English)
- Pachypanchax omalonota in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: P. Loiselle u. a., 2004. Retrieved May 13, 2009.