Spanish carp
| Spanish carp | ||||||||||||
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Above a male, below a female Spanish Parrot ( Aphanius iberus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Aphanius iberus | ||||||||||||
| ( Valenciennes , 1846) |
The Spanish Parrot ( Aphanius iberus ) is a small Mediterranean Parrot found on the southern coast of Spain . Due to the destruction of its habitats and the introduction of the competing goblin fish , this species is "critically endangered" according to the IUCN . It is used by humans to control mosquitoes .
description
The squat, laterally slightly flattened body of the Spanish Parrot is up to six centimeters long in males and up to eight centimeters in length in females. It has a flat top head having an obliquely upward ( upper permanent wear) mouth, the jaw small dreispitzige teeth. On the body and head there are 26 to 28 large round scales along a longitudinal row. The Spanish pup has no lateral line organ . All of its fins are made of soft rays . It has pectoral fins that start quite low on the body and belly fins. The dorsal fin and anal fin are almost at the same height, both have nine to ten soft rays. The caudal fin ends round. The coloring is different in males and females. Males have fifteen narrow, light blue cross bars along their blue-green sides. Her back is olive green, her belly whitish. The male's dark blue caudal fin also shows three to five light-colored transverse bands and a light-colored border. Its dorsal and anal fins are also dark, but lightly spotted. The female is olive to blue-green with brown spots on the flanks. Its fins are all light and transparent.
Distribution, habitat and biology
The Spanish carp fish mainly lives in fresh water , rarely also in brackish water . Its distribution area extends along the Mediterranean coast of Spain from eastern Andalusia to Catalonia . The North African populations are no longer ascribed to him, but to Aphanius saourensis , among others . It prefers small, shallow, standing bodies of water such as ditches or ponds . Occasionally, however, it is also found in brackish waters such as lagoons or salt marshes . The Spanish carp is insensitive to temperature fluctuations and the associated lack of oxygen in warm water. Spawning takes place from April to August. There is initially a lively courtship game before the female lays around 200 large eggs on aquatic plants close to the surface. The boys themselves become sexually mature at the end of their first year of life . This species mainly feeds on small carnivorous invertebrates , but also eats plant material.
protection
The Spanish penguin is listed by the European Union in Appendix II of the Habitats Directive and is therefore a type of community interest, for whose preservation special protected areas must be designated by the member states.
swell
- Gunter Steinbach: Freshwater fish in European waters . Mosaik Verlag, Munich 1984
- Spanish Carrot on Fishbase.org (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Spanish carrot on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ a b c d e f Gunter Steinbach: Freshwater fish in European waters . Mosaik Verlag, Munich 1984
Web links
- Spanish Carrot on Fishbase.org (English)
- Aphanius iberus on WoRMS