Carinotetraodon imitator | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
Family: | Tetraodontidae |
Genus: | Carinotetraodon |
Species: | C. imitator |
Binomial name | |
Carinotetraodon imitator | |
Carinotetraodon imitator, [3] commonly known as the dwarf Malabar pufferfish, is a freshwater pufferfish found in the Western Ghats of India, with little information available on its complete distribution. It is one of the smallest pufferfish in the world, and closely resembles the related Carinotetraodon travancoricus .
C. imitator has a maximum recorded standard length (SL) of 2.65 cm (1.04 in), making it one of the smallest pufferfish in the world. [2] The species is sexually dimorphic. Males have bodies and fins which are dirty yellow to orange in colour and are covered in dark blotches. The ventrum is dirty white to dirty yellow, becoming brownish toward the midventral line and forming a stripe from their lower lip to their caudal peduncle, surrounding the anal fin, where the stripe is broader and darker. An erectable skin keel along the ventral and dorsal surfaces is present in males. Females also possess the dark spots and blotches. The body of females is light brown to beige with a white ventrum. They lack the midventral stripe, but the area around their anal fin is darker and sometimes extends as a short stripe to the lower half of the caudal fin base. The patterns and colouration varies between individuals of both sexes, and their dark spots may be conspicuous or faint or broken into several smaller spots. [2]
C. imitator can be distinguished from its congener, as the males have brighter yellow colouration and have smaller, faint blotches compared to males of C. travancoricus, and lack the iridescent blue lines behind the eye. Females have smaller and fainter body blotches than C. travancoricus females, in addition to a number of small spots, [4] though females of C. tranvancoricus may also have small spots between their larger, darker blotches. [5] The most notable difference, however, is the body spination, which is greatly reduced in C. imitator compared to C travancoricus. [4]
In 1999, the species was first described based on specimens in an aquarium in Germany. [4] Information gathered through the importer from the exporter indicated that the species originated in India, and was found in small rivers in Kochi, probably from Ernakulam and neighbouring districts. The specimens were being kept with a number of C. tranvancoricus, suggesting either the two species occur together, or were later mixed by collectors or exporters. [4] They have since been found in mid- and lowland reaches of Kumaradhara and Addahole, Netravati River basin in Karnataka, as well as shallow streams. They inhabit bodies of water with sand, gravel, or stones making up the substrate. There is no information on its complete distribution. [1]
Reproduction of C. imitator has been observed only in captivity. During observation, the water was kept slightly brackish, with 10 L (2.6 US gal) of sea water per 60 L (16 US gal) of freshwater, and its temperature fluctuated between 20–24 °C (68–75 °F). During courting, males erect their keels and their bodies become bright yellow to orange and without marks. They court females while chasing away other males. Males attempted to attract females to the spawning site by swimming back and forth between the female and the site, sometimes trying to push the female toward the spawning site. Females ready to spawn would follow the male to the site, and spawning occurred in java moss. The female and male pressed their bodies together, both in a half-circle, and the female would release one or two eggs during the bout. Pairs may have up to ten or more bouts per spawning sequence. No parental care or fanning was observed outside of the male's defense of the spawning territory. When researchers attempted to recover eggs, they were never able to collect more than ten per spawning sequence, suggesting conspecifics may engage in egg cannibalism and were successful, despite the guarding male. [4]
Eggs are approximately 1.6 mm (0.063 in) in diameter. They are round and have a micropyle at the tip of a wart-like protrusion. They possess no obvious adhesiveness. Eggs were seen to hatch after seven days at 22–24 °C (72–75 °F). Hatched larvae are 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long. They are brownish with two translucent vertical bands, one behind the yolk sac and one at the end of the caudal fin. With the use of adhesive cells along the ventral yolk sac, larvae are able to attach themselves to substrate. [4]
The species is listed as data deficient on the IUCN Red List, as it is one of the least known freshwater fish of the Western Ghats and may be "a very rare species". [1] There is little or no information available on its complete distribution, population, biology, or threats. However, this fish is widely available internationally in the aquarium trade, indicating local exporters may have more knowledge. Overharvesting for the aquarium trade is a potential threat to the species. [1]
Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, toadle, honey toads, sugar toads, and sea squab. They are morphologically similar to the closely related porcupinefish, which have large external spines.
Pterophyllum is a small genus of freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae known to most aquarists as angelfish. All Pterophyllum species originate from the Amazon Basin, Orinoco Basin and various rivers in the Guiana Shield in tropical South America. The three species of Pterophyllum are unusually shaped for cichlids being greatly laterally compressed, with round bodies and elongated triangular dorsal and anal fins. This body shape allows them to hide among roots and plants, often on a vertical surface. Naturally occurring angelfish are frequently striped transversely, colouration which provides additional camouflage. Angelfish are ambush predators and prey on small fish and macroinvertebrates. All Pterophyllum species form monogamous pairs. Eggs are generally laid on a submerged log or a flattened leaf. As is the case for other cichlids, brood care is highly developed.
Corydoras panda is a species of catfish belonging to the genus Corydoras, of the family Callichthyidae, and is a native member of the riverine fauna of South America. It is found in Peru and Ecuador, most notably in the Huánuco region, where it inhabits the Río Aquas, the Río Amarillae, a tributary of the Río Pachitea, and the Río Ucayali river system. The species was first collected by Randolph H. Richards in 1968, and was named Corydoras panda by Nijssen and Isbrücker in 1971. The specific name is an allusion to the appearance of the fish, which possesses large black patches surrounding the eyes, reminiscent of those found on the giant panda. Accordingly, the common names for this fish, which is a popular aquarium species, are panda corydoras and panda catfish.
Puntigrus partipentazona, the Dwarf Tiger Barb, is a species of cyprinid fish native to Southeast Asia where it is found in the Mekong, Mae Klong, and Chao Phraya basins of Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and coastal streams of southeast Thailand and Cambodia where it occurs in streams and impoundments with dense weed growth. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. It is frequently misidentified as the similar Puntigrus tetrazona.
Carinotetraodon is a polyphyletic genus of small freshwater pufferfish found in South and Southeast Asia. Several species have commercial importance as aquarium fish.
Mikrogeophagus altispinosus is a species of fish endemic to the southern Amazon River basin in Brazil and Bolivia. The species is part of the family Cichlidae and subfamily Geophaginae. It is a popular aquarium fish, traded under the common names Bolivian butterfly, Bolivian ram, Bolivian ram cichlid, and ruby crown cichlid.
The dwarf pufferfish, also known as the Malabar pufferfish, pygmy pufferfish, or pea pufferfish, is a small freshwater pufferfish endemic to Kerala and southern Karnataka in Southwest India. They are popular in aquaria for their bright colours and small size. At a maximum total length of 3.5 cm, dwarf pufferfish are one of the smallest pufferfish in the world. They closely resemble the related Carinotetraodon imitator, and the two can be difficult to distinguish. C. imitator was not recognised as a different species until 1999.
The map puffer, also known as the map pufferfish, scribbled pufferfish, or Kesho-fugu, is a demersal marine fish belonging to the family Tetraodontidae. The map puffer is typically found in tropical and subtropical waters from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean. This fish contains tetrodotoxin, a potent and deadly chemical compound used to ward off predators. Despite being highly poisonous, the map puffer can be found both in the aquarium trade and certain food markets.
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Glossogobius giuris, the tank goby, is a species of goby native to fresh, marine and brackish waters from the Red Sea and East Africa through South Asia and the Indian Ocean to China, Australia and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade. It is also known as the bar-eyed goby, flat-headed goby and the Gangetic tank goby.
Canthigaster rostrata, commonly known as the Caribbean sharp-nose puffer, is a pufferfish from the Western Central Atlantic. The Caribbean sharp-nose puffer is a small fish with a maximum length of 12 cm or approximately 4.7 inches. It can be encountered from the coast of South Carolina to Venezuela, including Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean Sea. They can live up to 10 years in the wild, females typically live longer due to aggressive male territory behavior. The Caribbean sharp-nose puffer is a highly toxic species of marine fish due to the presence of tetrodotoxin in its tissues and organs. Despite its toxicity, the sharp-nose pufferfish occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
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The common dragonet is a species of dragonet which is widely distributed in the eastern North Atlantic where it is common near Europe from Norway and Iceland southwards. It is a demersal species that occurs over sand bottoms. It lives to a maximum age of around seven years. It is caught in bycatch by fisheries and is used in the aquarium trade.
Percina phoxocephala, the slenderhead darter, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in North America in the central Ohio and Mississippi River basins, to northeastern South Dakota and the Lake Winnebago system in Wisconsin, and as far south as the Red River in eastern Oklahoma and northeast Texas, typically in small to medium size rivers. It is a colorful species, with an average length of 6 to 9 centimeters. Males take on a deeper hue during the breeding season. It feeds on insect larvae and other small invertebrates, and spawns between April and June. It is a common fish with a very wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as being of "least concern".
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