Red dot dwarf cichlid
| Red dot dwarf cichlid | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Apistogramma alacrina | ||||||||||||
| Kullander , 2004 |
The red-dot dwarf cichlid ( Apistogramma alacrina ) is a species of fish from the cichlid family that occurs in the southeastern lowlands of Colombia . There she inhabits both waters that flow towards the Amazon ( Río Caquetá , Río Orteguaza ) and rivers that flow into the Orinoco , z. B. in the Río Guaviare .
features
Apistogramma alacrina is similar to the species of the Apistogramma macmasteri species group, but in contrast to these species, males do not have extended fin membranes in the anterior region of the dorsal fin. Apistogramma alacrina can only be distinguished from all other Apistogramma species by a dark spot around the lower area of the pectoral fin base. The scientific name of the species refers to this, "alacrina" means "armpit hair". The dorsal fin of the red dot dwarf cichlid is supported by 16 to 17 hard rays and 7 to 8 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 6 to 13 soft rays. The fish have 24 to 26 vertebrae.
Males reach a length of 8 cm and can be easily distinguished from the females by their extended soft rays on the dorsal and anal fin. The dorsal fin extends to the middle of the caudal fin and the anal fin to behind the first third of the caudal fin. When put on, the pelvic fins extend to the beginning of the anal fin. In the middle of the sides of the body there is a dark, zigzag-shaped longitudinal band that is formed by the dark front edges of the scales of two rows of scales. On the gill covers and in a band in the lower half of the body there are red-brown points, to which the German common name refers. Below the dorsal fin and on the base of the dorsal fin they show a series of dark spots. With increasing age the males become very, very high backed. Females reach a length of 4 to 5 cm and have a rounded dorsal and anal fin. The male's dark longitudinal ligament is mostly absent. In contrast, they show a dark stripe on the forehead and a short black stripe on each cheek. The dorsal fin is lined with black. The drawing patterns differ significantly depending on where they were found. The caudal fin is unpatterned and rounded in both sexes. The lips are thick.
habitat
The fish are found at a height of 400 meters in a tributary of the Río Orteguaza, which flows into the upper Amazon, south of the city of Florencia in the Caquetá province in Colombia. The river has a relatively strong current with some calm spots. The ground consists of fine sand mixed with somewhat coarser pebbles. The water temperature is about 26 ° C, the pH value is between 6 and 7. The species occurs there with the headband armored catfish ( Corydoras melini ), an ancistrus species that is not precisely defined, and the cichlid Heroina isonycterina .
supporting documents
- ↑ a b Kullander, SO, 2004. Apistogramma alacrina , a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Colombia. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 15 (1): 41-48.
- ↑ Apistogramma alacrina on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staek: American Cichlids I, Small cichlids. Tetra-Verlag, Bissendorf 1997, ISBN 3-8935-6153-6 . Page 148.