Chilodontidae (fish)
Puncturers headstander ( Chilodus punctatus )
The headstand ( Chilodontidae, Gr. , Cheilos = lip, Odous = tooth ) are a family of freshwater fish from the order of tetras, by their vertical swimming behavior, in which the head is tilted down strikes. Its distribution area is located in northern South America in the basins of the Amazon, the Orinoco, the Rio Paraíba and in the rivers of Guyana. Some species, particularly Dotted headstander ( Chilodus punctatus ) caught for the purpose of aquarium maintenance.
Features
The head posts are 6.5 to 16 inches long. Your maxilla ( upper jaw bone ) is greatly enlarged, the premaxilla ( front part of the upper jaw ) is relatively small. In each case a single row of relatively small teeth is highly mobile on the lips of the upper jaw, in most species also on those of the lower jaw. Headstander have 25 to 31 scales along the lateral line organ of which six are much smaller than the other, a feature that is unique for the Characins. The base color is a strong silvery gray, the base of the scales on the sides of the body is dark, so that there is a pattern of spaced longitudinal rows of dark spots.
Way of life
Some headstander species live exclusively in black water rivers ( Caenotropus mestomormatus, C. maculosus ) others also live in white and clear water rivers ( Chilodus frittilus ). Headstander are nursery eaters. Caenotropus labyrinthicus feeds on invertebrates, detritus and freshwater sponges. It spawns in May. When the Spotted Headstanders the males form the beginning of the breeding season territories and fight each other. They spawn in delicate plants. The fry hatch after three to four days and have been swimming vertically in small flocks.
Genera and species
There are two genera and eight species.
- Genus Caenotropus Günther, 1864. Caenotropus labyrinthicus ( Kner, 1858).
- Caenotropus maculosus ( Eigenmann, 1912).
- Caenotropus mestomorgmatos Vari, Castro & Raredon, 1995.
- Caenotropus schizodon Scharcansky & de Lucena, 2007.
- Chilodus fritillus Vari & Ortega, 1997.
- Chilodus gracilis Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1988.
- Puncturers headstander ( Chilodus punctatus ) Müller & Troschel, 1844.
- Chilodus zunevei Puyo, 1946.