Xenochromis hecqui
| Xenochromis hecqui | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Xenochromis hecqui |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Xenochromis | ||||||||||||
| Boulenger , 1899 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Xenochromis hecqui | ||||||||||||
| Boulenger, 1899 |
Xenochromis hecqui is an African cichlid species that is endemic to the East African Lake Tanganyika .
features
The fish reach a length of about 30 cm. Their length is about three and a half times the height of the body. The jaws are covered with numerous small teeth. 34 are found in the outer row of teeth and 30 in the inner row. The teeth are short, have leaf-shaped tips and point backwards.
- Fin formula : dorsal XVII / 10, anal III / 8-10.
- Scale formula : SL 53-56.
Way of life
Xenochromis hecqui occurs mainly at depths of 60 to 100 meters. Originally it was believed that the species feeds on the scales of other fish, much like the closely related Plecodus and Perissodus species. Stomach examinations showed, however, that the species mainly feeds on zooplankton . Small copepods make up more than 50% of the stomach's content. In addition, larvae of the freshwater herring found in Lake Tanganyika, detritus and unidentifiable organic particles were found in the stomach. The high number of gill rakes , around 45 and thus twice as high as in the scale- eating Plecodus and Perissodus species, speaks for a planktonic diet. Little is known about the reproduction of Xenochromis hecqui . All related species from the Perissodini tribe are mouthbrooders .
Initial description
- George Albert Boulenger (1899): Matériaux pour la faune du Congo. Poissons nouveaux du Congo. Cinquième part. Cyprins, Silures, Cyprinodontes, Acanthoptérygiens. Annales du Musee du Congo (Ser. Zoology) v. 1 (fasc. 5): 97-128, Pls. 40-47. Pages 125 and 126.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rieko Takahashi, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Katsutoshi Watanabe, Mutsumi Nishida & Michio Hori: Evolution of feeding specialization in Tanganyikan scale-eating cichlids: a molecular phylogenetic approach. BMC Evolutionary Biology 20077: 195, DOI: 10.1186 / 1471-2148-7-195
Web links
- Xenochromis hecqui on Fishbase.org (English)