Telmatochromis vittatus
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Telmatochromis vittatus |
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| Boulenger , 1898 |
Telmatochromis vittatus is in the East African Lake Tanganyika endemic occurring cichlid .
description
Telmatochromis vittatus becomes 8 to 9 cm long and has an elongated, cylindrical body. The body length is 4.3 to 4.4 times the body height. The basic color is brown-gray in the upper half of the body and beige to ivory in the lower half. A dark longitudinal band extends from the corner of the mouth over the eyes and the sides of the body, which extends to the base of the caudal fin. Another longitudinal ligament runs along the base of the dorsal fin. There is a dark spot on the tail stalk. Telmatochromis vittatus shows no pronounced gender differences. Only the fins, and especially the pelvic fins, are somewhat larger in the older males.
Telmatochromis vittatus differs from the closely related and very similar Telmatochromis bifrenatus in that it is taller in relation to its length, a smaller number of scales on the upper and more scales on the lower section of the two-part lateral line (19-21 / 10-11 vs. 27-28 / 6–8) and more strong, conical teeth in the upper and lower jaw (12–15 / 12–13 vs. 8–10 / 6–8).
Way of life
Telmatochromis vittatus lives close to the shore in the rock and scree zone of Lake Tanganyika and uses caves and crevices as hiding places. The fish usually stay at depths of 5 to 10 meters, more rarely at depths of 20 meters. They are omnivores that mainly eat microorganisms. Telmatochromis vittatus is solitary, but forms pairs during reproduction. The eggs are laid in crevices or caves ( substrate spawners ), the eggs, larvae and fry are looked after by the female, while the male defends the common territory. After swimming freely, the fry do not form a school, but initially remain true to their location in their parents' cave.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Pierre Brichard: The Great Book of Tanganyika Cichlids. With all the other fish on Lake Tanganyika. Bede Verlag GmbH. 1995, ISBN 978-3927997943 , page 414.
- ^ Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staeck: African cichlids, cichlids from East Africa. Page 54, Tetra Verlag, 1981, ISBN 3-8974-5103-4 , page 170 u. 171.
- ^ Soren Neergaard: Tanganyika - Cichlids. Kernen Verlag, 1982, ISBN 3-8740-1005-8 , page 138.
- ↑ Telmatochromis vittatus on Fishbase.org (English)