| Hemichromis lifalili | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hemichromis lifalili | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Hemichromis |
| Species: | H. lifalili |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemichromis lifalili Loiselle, 1979 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Hemichromis lifalili, common name blood-red jewel cichlid, is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. [3] [4] [5]
Hemichromis lifalili can grow up to 8.2–10 centimetres (3.2–3.9 in) long. [6] [5] They are red-orange or bright red with rows of small blue spots all over the body, the head and fins. Two dark spots [5] are present on the sides, the first on the opercle, the second in the middle of the body, while they lack the dark spot at the base of the tail present in Hemichromis bimaculatus .
In the mating period almost the whole body is red. Outside the spawning season adult males and females can be distinguished mainly by their body shape. The females are much leaner and show a brighter red. [5] The males are much stronger and have a more massive head than females[ citation needed ].
These fishes mainly feeds on worms, crustaceans, insects, small fish, but also on vegetable matter. [5]
This species, as the more common and congener Hemichromis bimaculatus , is a popular aquarium fish and it is widespread commercially for breeding in the aquarium. Reproduction is quite simple and it is carried easily in captivity.
Usually, the female lays about 400 eggs on a stone and the male immediately fertilizes them. [5] At a temperature of 25.5 °C, after 48 hours they hatch. [5] After five and a half days, the fry swims freely and are led mainly by the female, while the male is mainly engaged in the defense of the territory.
This species is present in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Lower and Central Congo River basin, except from the Shaba (Katanga) and Kasaï regions. [6] [1] These fishes prefers rocky and warm watercourses (22–24 °C). [6] In oxygen-depleted waters, in rapids and in swampy habitats this species is missing. [5]
Hemichromis is a genus of fishes from the cichlid family, known in the aquarium trade as jewel cichlids. Jewel cichlids are native to Africa. Within West Africa, Hemichromis species are found in creeks, streams, rivers and lakes with a variety of water qualities including brackish water lagoons.
Cyphotilapia frontosa, also called the front cichlid and frontosa cichlid, is an east African species of fish endemic to Lake Tanganyika. The genus name is a combination of the Ancient Greek "cypho-", meaning "curved", and tilapia, which means "fish" in a local dialect. The species name frontosa is a reference to its relatively large forehead.
Petenia splendida, the bay snook, is a species of cichlid from Mexico and northern Central America. It is important to local commercial fisheries.
Neolamprologus multifasciatus is one of the small shell-dwelling cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika. The male reaches 5 cm (2 in) in length, and the female only 2.5 cm (1 in) in the aquarium. In the wild, they reach only 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in standard length of male and female reaches less than 2.2 centimetres (0.87 in) in standard length. This makes them one of the smallest cichlid species in the world. Its natural habitat is the Neothauma shell beds of Lake Tanganyika, where it forms huge colonies with thousands of individuals. Their unique behavior is associated with their affinity to shells. They burrow sand to move shells, take refuge in shells and also breed in them. They have pale white coloring with black vertical bars running the length of their bodies. The species is sexually monomorphic, meaning sexing individuals is extremely hard or impossible based on external appearance alone.
Copadichromis borleyi is a species of haplochromine cichlid fish endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. The species is popular in the fishkeeping hobby where it is frequently kept in aquariums. The species has numerous common names, including redfin hap and goldfin hap.
Buccochromis atritaeniatus is a species of haplochromine cichlid. It is found in Lake Malawi in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes and intermediate and sandy areas and has been caught between 10 and 40 meters; it feeds on Haplochromines and hunts in pairs or large groups. Breeding males are found in colonies at depths about 30 meters and, while breeding, build sandcastle nests on steeply sloping sandy shores. The only known threat is fisheries and is known as Haplochromis mbowe in the fishing trade. Although FishBase and the Catalog of Fishes recognise this species, the IUCN treats it as a junior synonym of Buccochromis nototaenia.
Neolamprologus longior is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika and found at Kabogo Point and Kibwe Bay. This species can reach a length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The damba is a species of cichlid.
The African jewelfish, also known as jewel cichlid or jewelfish, is from the family Cichlidae.
Lake Barombi Koto, also known as Lake Barombi Kotto or Lake Barombi-ba-Kotto, is a small lake in the volcanic chain in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. It is a volcanic lake with a diameter of about 1.2 km (0.75 mi). There is a small island in the middle, which is densely inhabited by the Barombi, a tribe of fishers. The Tung Nsuia and Tung Nsuria streams, each about 1–2 m wide and 0.3 m deep near their mouth, are the only inflows into the lake, and they dry out in dry season.
Hemichromis fasciatus, also called the banded jewelfish and five-spot cichlid, is a species of fish in the cichlid family. It is distributed throughout West Africa. It can also be found in the Nile Basin, Lake Chad, and the upper Zambezi. It can reach a total length of up to 26.5 cm (10.4 in) and a standard length of 20.4 cm (8.0 in).
Synodontis levequei is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to Guinea, where it occurs in the Konkouré River basin. This species grows to a length of 17.7 centimetres (7.0 in) SL.
Cyphotilapia gibberosa is a species of fish in the cichlid family, one of two species in the genus Cyphotilapia. Native to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa, it was described in 2003 nearly 100 years after its congener, C. frontosa. This species is a maternal mouth brooder.
Tilapia baloni is a species of cichlid native to the Congo River basin of western Zambia. It is named after Polish-Canadian ichthyologist Eugene K. Balon.
Hemichromis letourneuxi is a species of cichlid which is native to West Africa and is popular in the aquarium hobby and it has been introduced to the Caribbean and the south-east United States where it is invasive.
Scarus fuscopurpureus, common name purple-brown parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish in the family Scaridae. It occurs in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
The Golden Nile Catfish, Chrysichthys auratus is a species of fish belonging to the family Claroteidae.
Dormitator lebretonis is a species of fish in the family Eleotridae found in the Eastern Atlantic from Senegal to the Kunene River in Namibia. Males of this species can reach a length of 12.4 cm (4.9 in),
Phenacogrammus urotaenia is a species of fish in the African tetra family. It is endemic to the Ntem and Ogowe River basins in Gabon and Cameroon, Africa. This species reaches a length of 7.0 cm (2.8 in).
Citharinus eburneensis is a species of lutefish from tropical Africa. It is known from the coastal rivers of Côte d'Ivoire and can get as large as 17.5 cm.
