Orange chromide
The orange chromide (Pseudetroplus maculatus) is a species of cichlid fish that is endemic to freshwater and brackish streams, lagoons and estuaries in southern India and Sri Lanka.[1][2][3] It is also known as pallathi (Malayalam: പള്ളത്തി) in Malayalam. The species is popular with fishkeeping hobbyists, and is kept frequently in aquariums.[2][4] The species is part of the family Cichlidae and is included in subfamily Etroplinae. The orange chromide reaches a length of up to 8 cm (3.1 in).[3]
| Orange chromide | |
|---|---|
| Orange chromide from the Bharathapuzha River, India | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Subfamily: | Etroplinae |
| Genus: | Pseudetroplus Bleeker, 1862 |
| Species: | P. maculatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudetroplus maculatus (Bloch, 1795) | |
| Synonyms | |
| Etroplus maculatus Bloch, 1795 | |
Diet
The species co-occurs throughout its range with the green chromide (Etroplus suratensis). Orange chromides prey on the eggs and larvae of the green chromide and also act as a "cleaner fish" removing parasites from the larger green chromides in a cleaning symbiosis.[2] The species also feeds on zooplankton and algae.[3]
Parental care
Young orange chromides feed on mucous coating of their parents; this is essential for the small fry survival. During the feeding period, the parent fish mucous glands increase 34%.[5]
References
- ^ Pethiyagoda, R., Maduwage, K. & Manamendra-Arachchi, K. (2014): Validation of the South Asian cichlid genus Pseudetroplus Bleeker (Pisces: Cichlidae). Zootaxa, 3838 (5): 595–600.
- ^ a b c Loiselle, P.V. (1995). The Cichlid Aquarium. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 1-56465-146-0.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Etroplus maculatus" in FishBase. April 2017 version.
- ^ Riehl, R.. & Baensch, H.A. (1995). Aquarium Atlas. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 3-88244-050-3.
- ^ Gerking, Shelby D. (Apr 25, 2014). Feeding Ecology of Fish. Elsevier. p. 286. ISBN 9781483288529.
External links
- Media related to Pseudetroplus maculatus at Wikimedia Commons