Tropheus moorii

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Tropheus moorii
Tropheus moorii "Red Rainbow" from the southeast coast near Kasanga (Tanzania).

Tropheus moorii "Red Rainbow" from the southeast coast near Kasanga (Tanzania).

Systematics
Order : Cichliformes
Family : Cichlids (Cichlidae)
Subfamily : Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe : Tropheini
Genre : Tropheus
Type : Tropheus moorii
Scientific name
Tropheus moorii
Boulenger , 1898

Tropheus moorii is a species of cichlid thatlives endemically in Lake Tanganyika and is distributed there in numerous color morphs . The species was named by George Albert Boulenger after JES Moore, whocaughtthe type specimens from 1895 to 1896 for the Natural History Museum in London.

features

Tropheus moorii becomes 12 to 14.5 cm long and has a relatively high-backed, laterally slightly flattened physique, a wide, lower mouth, a steep head profile and an indented tail fin. In terms of color, the species is very variable due to the way of life that is strictly bound to the rocky littoral and the resulting microgeographic isolation and there are more than 20 local varieties, between which there are usually no transitional forms. The animals from the type locality at the southern tip of the lake, near the Zambian town of Mpulungu , are yellow to gray-green in color and have a lemon-yellow to orange-colored spot on their flanks, which begins directly behind the gill cover and can vary widely in shape and size . The head of adults is speckled with numerous bright small dots. The iris is silvery, with the exception of a black zone at the top, and is outlined in red. The dorsal fin is bluish, blue-gray or red-purple.

Usually the basic color of the fish in the northern half of the lake and in the central area of ​​the east coast is blackish, with gray and brown parts and strong red or yellow colored spots or bands or, in the southern half of the lake, brownish with more or less strong red parts and blue, green or yellow markings. The edges of the scales are usually dark, creating a mesh pattern. The color markings can be more or less clear depending on the mood. Young fish have 7 to 8 bright, vertical bands on the body side, which can also be interrupted. The sexes differ very little. The males' pelvic fins are usually longer.

Way of life

Above Tropheus moorii "Kiriza" from the northwest coast ( Dem. Rep. Congo ), a representative of the northern, blackish type and Tropheus moorii "Kachese" (below) from the south coast ( Zambia ), a representative of the brownish, southern type.

Tropheus moorii lives on the rocky shores of Lake Tanganyika at depths of up to five meters. It feeds on the algae growing on the rocks, which it scrapes off with its flat teeth that sit on the outer edges of its lipless mouth. He moves very actively in small groups or swarms and ceaselessly swims up and down the rock walls, in crevices and caves in and out. Zones with sandy bottom or scree areas with stones that move in the surf are avoided by the animals, even if they are only of small extent (e.g. 20 meters). These zones thus represent an ecological barrier for the different morphs to mix. Observations in aquariums have shown that Tropheus moorii reacts very sensitively when the pH value , which in Lake Tanganyika is unusually high at 8.6 to 9.5, increases is low. Thus, even rivers that flow into it, which usually have a different water chemistry than lake water and a lower pH value, represent an effective barrier.

Reproduction

Tropheus moorii is a mouthbrooder . Before the act of spawning, the couples clean a stone and suggest digging a pit in the lake floor. These are phylogenetic relic acts that show that Tropheus moorii had substrate- spawning ancestors. The 8 to 17 large eggs per spawning act are large and 4 to 7 mm in diameter. They are released in free water and usually taken individually by the female in the mouth while sinking. After about 4 weeks to 45 days, the hatched fry, they are now about 12 to 16 mm long, leave the maternal mouth for the first time. After that, they are protected by the mother for another 12 to 14 days.

Systematics

Tropheus moorii is one of six currently recognized species in the genus Tropheus . It has not yet been clarified whether all color morphs actually belong to Tropheus moorii or whether some represent separate species. Many authors leave out the specific epithet moorii and designate color morphs e.g. B. as Tropheus sp. "Kigoma" or as "Blutkehl-Moorii". Especially the entire population in the northern part of the lake, which has a blackish to dark brown basic color, could be an independent species.

literature

  • Horst Linke, Wolfgang Staeck: African cichlids, cichlids from East Africa. Tetra Verlag, 1981, ISBN 3-8974-5103-4 .
  • Soren Neergaard: Tanganyika - Cichlids. Kernen Verlag, 1982, ISBN 3-8740-1005-8 .
  • Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 .
  • Georg Zurlo: Tropheus moorii. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , pp. 956 f.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sterba (1990): page 810
  2. ↑ Tropheus on Fishbase.org (English)

Web links

Commons : Tropheus moorii  - collection of images, videos and audio files