Pelmatochromis
| Pelmatochromis | ||||||||||||
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Pelmatochromis buettikoferi |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pelmatochromis | ||||||||||||
| Steindachner , 1894 |
Pelmatochromis ( Gr .: “Pelma” - “atos” = sole of the foot + “chromis” = old name for cichlids) is a genus from the family of cichlids (Cichlidae), which is distributed in West Africa from Senegal to Liberia and in the Congo Basin .
features
Pelmatochromis species become 15 to 25 cm long, females remain only slightly smaller. The body of the fish is flattened on the sides and oval. The mouth is inclined, at an angle of 20 to 40 ° to an imaginary horizontal line. The length of the lower jaw is 35 to 42% of the head length, the length of the premaxillary process is 21 to 23% of the head length. The teeth in the jaws are single-pointed, two species can also have double-pointed teeth. On the first outer gill arch , the gill rakes of the lower section are tubercle-like and wide. The dorsal fin may show a tilapia spot .
- Fin Formula : Dorsal XIII-XV / 10-13; Anal III / 8-10.
Way of life
Almost nothing is known about the way of life of the Pelmatochromis species. Since they are of no importance to the aquarium hobby, there are hardly any observations from aquariums. The three species of the genus are likely only found in forested regions. Pelmatochromis species are open brooders that form a parent family .
species
Today, three species belong to the genus Pelmatochromis :
- Pelmatochromis buettikoferi ( Steindachner , 1894)
- Pelmatochromis nigrofasciatus ( Pellegrin , 1900)
- Pelmatochromis ocellifer Boulenger , 1899
Other species that were placed in the earlier collective genus Pelmatochromis now belong to Anomalochromis , Chromidotilapia , Pelvicachromis , Pterochromis or Thysochromis .
literature
- Anton Lamboj: The cichlids of western Africa. Publisher: Natur und Tier, 2006, ISBN 386-659000-8
- Günther Sterba : Freshwater fish of the world , Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-89350-991-7
Web links
- Pelmatochromis on Fishbase.org (English)