Snout breeders
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Nimbochromis linni (underwater photo in Lake Malawi). |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Nimbochromis linni | ||||||||||||
| ( Burgess & Axelrod , 1975) |
The mouth breeder ( Nimbochromis linni , Syn . : Haplochromis linni ) is a cichlid endemic in Lake Malawi and widespread here .
features
Nimbochromis linni reaches a length of 25 to 30 cm (females stay smaller) and is one of the larger cichlids of Lake Malawi. In its external appearance, it is very similar to the polyspotted mouthbrooder ( Nimbochromis polystigma ), which is why it is also called proboscis polystigma in German , and differs from this mainly by its greatly elongated, almost proboscis-shaped mouth. The basic color of the body is gray to silvery white. The head, flanks and fins are patterned with irregular brown to reddish brown spots and spots. The dorsal fin is lined with red, yellow and white, the pointed, smoke-gray anal fin has some bluish egg spots. The coloring of the males is stronger than that of the females. Males in courtship mood lose their brown markings and become light blue. The mouth is terminal and horizontal and extends down like a trunk when open. The long premaxillary reaches more than 36% of the length of the head.
- Fins formula : dorsal XVI – XVII / 10–11, anals III – IV / 9.
- Dandruff formula : mLR 29–30, SL 23 / 13–15 + 2–3.
Way of life
The long-mouthed breeder occurs mainly in rocky areas and in the transition zone from rock to sand littoral. It is a specialized piscivorous predator who sucks young fish, probably mainly mbunas , from narrow crevices with its trunk-like mouth . Like almost all Malawi cichlids, the proboscis mouthbrooder is a mouthbrooder .
literature
- Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 .
- Erwin Schraml: Nimbochromis linni. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 706.
Web links
- Nimbochromis linni on Fishbase.org (English)
- Nimbochromis linni inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: Kazembe, J., Makocho, P. & Mailosi, A., 2006. Retrieved October 16, 2013.