Orange chromide

The orange chromide (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.[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

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Etroplus
Species:
E. maculatus
Binomial name
Etroplus maculatus
Bloch, 1795
Synonyms

Pseudetroplus maculatus (Bloch, 1795)

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.[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]

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References
  1. Pethiyagoda, R., Maduwage, K. & Manamendra-Arachchi, K. (2014): Validation of the South Asian cichlid genus Pseudetroplus Bleeker (Pisces: Cichlidae). Zootaxa, 3838 (5): 595–600.
  2. Loiselle, P.V. (1995). The Cichlid Aquarium. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 1-56465-146-0.
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2017). "Etroplus maculatus" in FishBase. April 2017 version.
  4. Riehl, R.. & Baensch, H.A. (1995). Aquarium Atlas. Germany: Tetra Press. ISBN 3-88244-050-3.
  5. Gerking, Shelby D. (Apr 25, 2014). Feeding Ecology of Fish. Elsevier. p. 286. ISBN 9781483288529.
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