Plecodus straeleni
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox
Plecodus straeleni is a species of cichlid fish that is endemic to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. This species can reach a total length of Script error: No such module "convert"..[1]
Like all species of Plecodus, this fish is a scale-eater.[1][2] Unlike other members of its genus, it has a distinctive striped pattern and closely resembles the harmless Neolamprologus sexfasciatus. It uses this aggressive mimicry to be able to approach unsuspecting fish and rapidly take a mouthful of scales.[3] It also resembles the larger Cyphotilapia and has been recorded swimming among their schools, but this may be protective rather than aggressive mimicry.[3] Although it may attack the species it mimics, most victims are other species[3] and under some circumstances it will feed on fish eggs.[4]
The specific name honours the Belgian paleontologist and carcinologist Victor van Straelen (1889-1964) who was Director of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.[5]
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Cite taxon".
- ↑ Takahashi; Watanabe; Nishida; and Hori (2007). Evolution of feeding specialization in Tanganyikan scale-eating cichlids: A molecular phylogenetic approach. BMC Evolutionary Biology 7: 195. Script error: No such module "CS1 identifiers".
- ↑ a b c Boileau; Cortesi; Egger; Muschick; Indermaur; Theis; Büscher; and Salzburger (2015). A complex mode of aggressive mimicry in a scale-eating cichlid fish. Biol Lett. 11(9): 20150521. Script error: No such module "CS1 identifiers".
- ↑ Nshombo, M. (1991). Occasional egg-eating by the scale-eater Plecodus straeleni (Cichlidae) of Lake Tanganyika. Environmental Biology of Fishes 31(2): 207–212. Script error: No such module "CS1 identifiers".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".