Parakneria

Parakneria is a genus of small freshwater fish which occur ( except P. cameronensis in the Dja River ( South Cameroon ) ) in Africa south of the equator. Distribution area are the Congo Basin, Katanga and Angola. The genus has been removed by the Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll of Kneria and combines former Kneria species whose males lack the Occipitalorgan.

Features

The fish are elongated and spindle-shaped, 6 to 15 hours, and are generally more slender than the Kneria species. My stomach is flatter, and their dorsal fins approach is prior to the belly fin base; at Kneria he is above or behind it. Parakneria species have a straight lateral line, while behind the pelvic fins proceeds at Kneria below the lateral midline. Dorsal and anal fins are short, forked tail fin. An aneurysm of the upper branchial chamber, the suprabranchial, it enables the fish to breathe atmospheric oxygen. Parakneria species are inconspicuously colored in various shades of brown.

Way of life

The lifestyle of Parakneria species is still largely unknown. You are flow- loving ( rheophil ) and come, often with catfish of the genus Chiloglanis, especially in fast-flowing rivers and rapids before where they reside between stones and boulders. When foraging, they move across the ground, grapple with the deep-set chest and pelvic fins, to avoid being washed away, and eat volunteers ( algae) and detritus. Their reproduction is unknown for the most part. They may undertake spawning migrations upstream to lay there in the rainy season their eggs. Specimens of P. tanzaniae which have been caught in the rainy season in July in eastern Tanzania, showed strong dermal ridges that extended on both sides of the head from snout to the pectoral fins. You could serve the fish are pressed by the stronger in the wet season flow to the ground in order not to abort.

Types and occurrence

There are 14 species that are difficult to distinguish from each other. In some species overlap are important for an accurate determination of characteristics and may have too many species have been described.

  • Parakneria abbreviata ( Pellegrin, 1931); Kouilou
  • Parakneria cameronensis ( Boulenger, 1909); Dja ( South Cameroon )
  • Parakneria Damasi Poll, 1965; upper Lualaba
  • Parakneria fortuita MJ Penrith, 1973; Cutato ( southern Angola )
  • Parakneria kissi Poll, 1969; Lualaba
  • Parakneria ladigesi Poll, 1967; Cuango
  • Parakneria lufirae Poll, 1965; Lufira
  • Parakneria malaissei Poll, 1969; Luapula
  • Parakneria marmorata (Norman, 1923), Cuanza
  • Parakneria mossambica Jubb & Bell -Cross, 1974; Pungwe
  • Parakneria spekii ( Günther, 1868); Ruvu Wami & (Tanzania )
  • Parakneria tanzaniae Poll, 1984; upper Ruaha (Tanzania )
  • Parakneria thysi Poll, 1965; Lualaba
  • Parakneria vilhenae Poll, 1965; Kasai
Taxonomic rank#All ranks Ostariophysi Identification (biology) Jacques Pellegrin Kouilou-Niari River George Albert Boulenger Lualaba River Kwango River Luapula River Cuanza River Wami River FishBase
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