Ringed pike
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Ringed pike ( Epiplatys annulatus ) |
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| Epiplatys annulatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Boulenger , 1915) |
The Clown Killi ( Epiplatys annulatus , Syn. : Pseudepiplatys annulatus ), also dwarf pike Ling called, is a West African representative of killifish . The species was first introduced to Germany in 1965 and is known as an aquarium fish .
Occurrence
The species occurs in West Africa in the area of Guinea , Liberia and Sierra Leone and lives there in small pools of water. According to Sterba , the ringed pike is probably a relic form, the occurrence of which is limited to small and very small bodies of water in the jungle and savannah. The fish stay in the sunny, plant-rich bank zones and shallow water areas.
Appearance
The body shape is pike-like with an upper mouth, in captivity the animals reach a total length of up to four centimeters. The basic color is silvery light, the body has three broad, black-blue cross bars, which are also continued in the fins. The dorsal fin is set back and only begins after the middle of the anal fin . The fins of the males are pointed and bright red / yellow in color, while all the fins of the females are rounded and (with the exception of the caudal fin ) colorless.
Way of life
The ringed pike is a surface- living ambulance hunter . From the cover under floating plants, small insects and invertebrates in particular are preyed on by quickly advancing.
Reproduction
The species becomes sexually mature at five to six months. The eggs are laid on the ground (peat) at the foot of plants! The fry hatch after eight to ten days and initially feed on microorganisms such as B. Infusoria . The sex ratio of the juveniles depends on the keeping temperature, at 20–22 ° C almost only males are achieved, at temperatures of 25 to 28 ° C the sex ratio is almost balanced.
Systematics
The affiliation of the species is still controversial. Depending on the source, the ringed pike is assigned to the genus Epiplatys as Epiplatys annulatus and as Pseudepiplatys annulatus to the monotypical genus Pseudepiplatys .
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 toothcarps in the aquarium. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 978-3-8001-7055-5 .
Web links
- Ringed pike on Fishbase.org (English)
- Epiplatys annulatus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: Olaosebikan, BD, 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2014.