Orange chromide
Orange chromide from the Bharathapuzha River, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
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[2]
  • Etroplus maculatus (Bloch, 1795)
  • Chaetodon maculatus Bloch, 1795
  • Etroplus coruchi Cuvier, 1830
  • Glyphisodon kakaitsel Lacepède, 1802
  • Glyphisodon koruschi Cuvier, 1830

The orange chromide (Pseudetroplus maculatus ; more commonly Etroplus maculatus) is a species of cichlid fish that is endemic to freshwater and brackish streams, lagoons and estuaries in southern India and Sri Lanka.[3][4][5] It is also known as pallathi (Malayalam: പള്ളത്തി) in Malayalam. The species is popular with fishkeeping hobbyists, and is kept frequently in aquariums.[4][6] 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).[5]

Diet

The selectively bred bright orange-yellow variant often seen in the aquarium trade

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.[4] The species also feeds on zooplankton and algae.[5]

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 fishes' mucous glands increase 34%.[7]

References

  1. ^ Abraham, R.; de Alwis Goonatilake, S.; Fernado, M.; Kotagama, O. (2019). "Etroplus maculatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T172481A60632931. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T172481A60632931.en. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Etroplus maculatus (Bloch, 1795)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  3. ^ Pethiyagoda, R., Maduwage, K. & Manamendra-Arachchi, K. (2014): Validation of the South Asian cichlid genus Pseudetroplus Bleeker (Pisces: Cichlidae). Zootaxa, 3838 (5): 595–600.
  4. ^ a b c Loiselle, P.V. (1995). The Cichlid Aquarium. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 1-56465-146-0.
  5. ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Etroplus maculatus" in FishBase. April 2017 version.
  6. ^ Riehl, R.. & Baensch, H.A. (1995). Aquarium Atlas. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 3-88244-050-3.
  7. ^ Gerking, Shelby D. (Apr 25, 2014). Feeding Ecology of Fish. Elsevier. p. 286. ISBN 9781483288529.

External links

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