Thousand dollar fish

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thousand dollar fish
Chitala ornata (Brno Zoo, Czech Republic) .jpg

Thousand dollar fish ( Chitala ornata )

Systematics
Overcohort : Osteoglossomorpha (Osteoglossomorpha)
Order : Bony tongues (Osteoglossiformes)
Subordination : Knifefish-like (Notopteroidei)
Family : Old World Knifefish (Notopteridae)
Genre : Chitala
Type : Thousand dollar fish
Scientific name
Chitala ornata
( JE Gray , 1831)

The thousand dollar fish ( Chitala ornata ) is the largest representative of the Old World knife fish (Notopteridae) with a maximum length of one meter and a weight of up to 4.95 kg . The animals are popular fishing and food fish in their native Southeast Asia .

distribution

Chitala ornata occurs in medium to large rivers (e.g. Mae Nam Chao Phraya , Mekong , Tonle Sap ), floodplains (in the flood season from June to October) and lakes of Indonesia , Cambodia , Laos , Thailand and Vietnam . He was naturalized in Singapore.

features

The animals are elongated and very flattened on the sides. Except for the anal and pectoral fins, all other fins are greatly reduced, the pelvic fins are completely absent. Behind the relatively small head with a large mouth, the back rises steeply and slowly falls back down to the small caudal fin. A small, flag-shaped dorsal fin sits in the middle of the back. On the belly side the anus is very far forward, directly behind it the very long, pronounced anal fin begins, which merges with the caudal fin to form a fin edge.

The coloring of adults is silvery. On the lower half of the body there are black dots to round spots with a white border. Juvenile animals do not yet have this spot pattern. They have a diffuse black horizontal stripe pattern over the entire, silver-colored side. In the course of growth, the stripes transform into the white-framed spots, which may initially be fused together. The drawing pattern is very variable.

Similar species: C. chitala (with light, silver to gold colored horizontal stripes on the upper half of the body), C. blanci and C. lopis (with a basal spot in the chest area)

nutrition

The thousand dollar fish is a predatory fish. It hunts ground-dwelling and free-swimming prey, such as B. bony fish, worms, mollusks, crustaceans and insects, whereby relatively large animals are captured and the prey animals are devoured as a whole. The food is located with the help of the optical and olfactory sense organs and then hunted.

behavior

Chitala ornata is mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, then swimming around freely. During the day it likes to hide between plants and roots and can even swim backwards with the help of the undulating anal fin. Young animals swim in loose schools. Adult animals behave incompatible and territorial within the species and are often aggressive towards other fish species.

Reproduction

Chitala ornata is egg-laying, with external fertilization. It spawns from March to July. The eggs are laid on plants or on solid substrate. The male guards and fangs the eggs and for a few days also the young fish that hatch after 6–7 days (father family).

genetics

haploid set, n: 21 chromosomes (also 24 reported) diploid set, 2n: 42 chromosomes (also 48 reported)

Aquaristics

In 1934 the thousand dollar fish was introduced to Germany for the first time. Chitala ornata is occasionally offered in the trade as a young animal under the name "Striped Knife Fish" and, due to its possible size and rapid growth, requires a very spacious tank. The animals swim around looking for prey at dusk and at night. Subdued light, even through floating plants, promotes activity during the day. The pool should offer hiding places through dense planting, roots and stone structures, but also enough free swimming space. In the aquarium, Chitala ornata can also be used to industrial feed and chopped meat. A socialization is only possible with large fish, smaller ones are seen as prey. In the case of very aggressive specimens, individual keeping may be necessary.

swell

Web link