Steindachner's dwarf cichlid
| Steindachner's dwarf cichlid | ||||||||||||
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Steindachner's dwarf cichlid, male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Apistogramma steindachneri | ||||||||||||
| ( Regan , 1908) |
Steindachner's dwarf cichlid ( Apistogramma steindachneri ) is a small species of fish from the family of cichlids (Cichlidae) that occurs in northeastern South America in eastern Venezuela, in Guyana and Suriname in the river basins of Cuyuní , Venamo , Essequibo , Demerara , Mahaica , Marowijne and Corantijne . Steindachner's dwarf cichlid was named in honor of the Austrian zoologist Franz Steindachner .
features
Males reach a maximum length of 9 cm, females stay a third smaller with a length of 6 cm. Steindachner's dwarf cichlid is gray to gray-blue in color. The scales on the upper half of the body have a black border, creating a mesh pattern. In most cases, the forehead and cheek stripes are clearly visible on the head. There is a black spot on the sides of the body that usually extends to the upper sideline . Depending on the mood, the animals show more or less clearly a black longitudinal band and a dark spot on the base of the tail. The dorsal and anal fins of the males are pulled out, the fin membranes of the dorsal fin extend over the fin rays . The caudal fin of the males has two lobes above and below.
Way of life
Steindachner's dwarf cichlid occurs in waters with soft water, a temperature of 24 to 28 ° C and a pH of 3.9 to 7.3. In the same habitat and the living Shiny dwarf cichlid ( Nannacara anomala ) Krobia guianensis , Crenicichla cf. saxatilis , Laimosemion agilae , the Marbled Beilbauchfisch ( Carnegiella strigata ) and numerous small tetra species . Males are territorial and harem-forming and mate with multiple females. The spawn is deposited in a cave and contains 60 to 250 eggs.
Systematics
Steindachner's dwarf cichlid was described in 1908 by the British ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan under the scientific name Heterogramma steindachneri . In 1936 and 1960, descriptions of synonyms followed under the names Apistogramma ornatipinnis and Apistogramma wickleri . Together with Apistogramma hippolytae and Apistogramma rupununi , Apistogramma steindachneri forms a complex of similar and closely related species, which occurs from Guiana south to the mouth of the Rio Branco in the Rio Negro .
literature
- Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staek: American cichlids I, small cichlids. Tetra-Verlag, Bissendorf 1997, ISBN 3-8935-6153-6 . Pages 157–158.
Web links
- Apistogramma steindachneri on Fishbase.org (English)