Hemichromis letourneuxi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hemichromis letourneuxi | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Hemichromis |
| Species: | H. letourneuxi |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemichromis letourneuxi Sauvage, 1880 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Hemichromis rolandi Sauvage, 1881 | |
Hemichromis letourneuxi is a species of cichlid native to West Africa and is popular in the aquarium hobby, and it has been introduced to the Caribbean and the Southeastern United States, where it is invasive.
H. letourneuxi, a small species, has quite a long, thin body and a rounded tail, with 13–15 spines in the dorsal fin and three in the anal fin. It has a highly variable background colour to the body, which may be green-yellow to red-brown or even almost black, dependent on various factors, such as the sex of the fish, the season, the nature of the fish's habitat, and stress. Breeding males may develop red colouration over the gills and underside. Both sexes have a limited number of small, brilliant blue, iridescent spots on the head, body, and fins, and these may be more obvious in breeding adults. They have a dark black spot situated above the lateral line on the flanks and smaller blotches on gill covers and base of the tail. They can reach a standard length of 12 cm (4.7 in), although a length of 7 cm (2.8 in) is more usual.[2]
Distribution
H. letourneuxi is found across the northern half of Africa from the River Nile,[3] and has been recorded in the Gambia River and Senegal River, as well as oases in Algeria.[2] It has been recorded as an introduced species in the Philippines, Hawaii, Europe, and Puerto Rico, as well as in Florida. It is only known to have been established in Florida and Puerto Rico,[4] while in other areas, they do not seem to have become established or have been misidentified.[2] In Florida, they were introduced prior to 1965 and were introduced by the aquarium trade, either by releases or by escapes. They were originally confined to the Miami Canal, but have begun to spread northwards and westwards, with their wide habitat tolerance aiding their dispersal.[4]