Paratilapia polleni
Paratilapia polleni | |
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Mature male P. polleni. Note the head hump, a common feature of dominant male cichlids. Behind him is a humpless individual, likely one of his mates | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cichliformes |
Family: | Cichlidae |
Genus: | Paratilapia |
Species: | P. polleni
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Binomial name | |
Paratilapia polleni Bleeker, 1868
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Synonyms | |
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Paratilapia polleni is a medium-sized cichlid endemic to Madagascar. It is also a popular fish for display at public aquaria.[2][3]
It is sometimes referred to by the
Morphology
P. polleni is a laterally compressed, full-bodied fish. Like most cichlids, it resembles a perch-type fish in shape, hence the taxonomic designation perciformes - 'perch-like'. Males in captivity develop a nuchal hump, a layer of fat above the eyes, though not to the same degree as other similar African cichlids, such as Cyphotilapia frontosa, and tilapias of Africa.
Adult and subadult dominant P. polleni individuals are jet black in color, covered with brilliant
In the USA a few years ago[when?], a tropical fish wholesaler from New Jersey was maintaining both 'spot' variations, which gave him an opportunity to observe them side by side.[citation needed] He noticed a distinct difference in behavior, size, and fright coloration, which made him certain that rather than being the same species, the fishes might well be two different ones. As a result of following scientific investigation to determine anatomical differences, the small-spot variant was established as the species originally described as Paratilapia polleni Bleeker, 1898, and that the large-spot variant was a distinct species.
The name Paratilapia bleekeri Sauvage, 1882, (honoring Bleeker, who described P. polleni), was revived and applied to the latter form. P. bleekeri is a larger fish than P. polleni, and can reach 30 cm when fully mature, with males larger than females.[citation needed]
Habitat and behavior
In the wild, P. polleni is a very adaptable cichlid. It can be found at altitudes up to 1500 m with water temperatures of 12°C and in hot springs which can reach 40°C.
References
- .
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Paratilapia polleni" in FishBase. April 2013 version.
- ^ a b c d e f Seriously Fish
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Paratilapia toddi" in FishBase. April 2013 version.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 July 2018). "Order CICHLIFORMES: Family CICHLIDAE: Subfamilies ETROPLINAE and PTYCHOCHROMINAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
Further reading
- Nourissat, J. C., and P. de Rham. 2004. The Endemic Cichlids of Madagascar. Association France Cichlid. ISBN 2-9513502-0-1
External links
- Biolib
- Paratilapia polleni - Cichlid Room. Accessed on 15 February 2008.