Banded pike
| Banded pike | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Epiplatys dageti dageti | ||||||||||||
| Poll , 1953 |
The cross-band panchax ( Epiplatys dageti dageti ) is a West African representative of the killifish and belongs together with the Monrovia panchax ( Epiplatys dageti monroviae ) the nature Epiplatys dageti . It is kept as an aquarium fish and was first introduced to Germany in 1908.
Occurrence
The species occurs in West Africa in the Ivory Coast , Liberia and western Ghana , where it mainly inhabits swamp-like biotopes with sandy or muddy bottoms and strong vegetation.
Appearance
The fish have the pike-like shape typical of all Epiplatys species with an overhead mouth and a straight head-back line. The males reach a total length of up to six centimeters in captivity, females stay a little smaller. The basic color is brown-red, but varies depending on the habitat , whereby the males are more contrasting in color and can also have yellow parts in the area of the fins . Typical of the species are six dark transverse bands between the gill cover and the tail stalk.
The anal fin of the males is pointed, in the females it is round. The caudal fin is elongated-oval.
Way of life
Like all members of the Epiplatys genus, the pipefish is a hunter living near the surface that feeds primarily on insects, smaller invertebrates and fish larvae. The fish standing in the cover of aquatic plants capture their food by suddenly advancing and occasionally jumping.
Reproduction
The fish spawn in pairs. In the course of several days, up to 200 eggs are attached individually to the root fibers or leaves of aquatic plants . Brood care does not take place, the fry hatch after eight to ten days.
literature
- Rüdiger Riehl , Hans A. Baensch : Aquarien Atlas, Volume 1 , 15th edition, Mergus Verlag, Melle 2007, ISBN 978-3-88244-227-4
- Lothar Seegers: Killifische - egg-laying tooth carps in the aquarium , Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 978-3-80017-055-5
Web links
- Banded pike on Fishbase.org (English)
- Videos on Epiplatys dageti published by the Institute for Scientific Film . Provided in the AV portal of the technical information library .