Erythrinus erythrinus

Blue Raubsalmler ( Erythrinus erythrinus )

The Blue Raubsalmler ( Erythrinus erythrinus, Synonyms: Cyprinus cylincricus, E. longipinnis, E. brevicauda, E. kessleri, E. microcephalis, E. Salmoneus, Synod erythrinus ) is a freshwater fish of the family of Raubsalmler ( Erythrinidae ). The first description was in 1801 Synod erythrinus.

Dissemination

The Blue Raubsalmler living in the catchment areas of the Amazon and Orinoco, and in coastal rivers of northern South America, in Brazil, Argentina, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela. In addition, the species has been naturalized as a food fish on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

Features

Blue Raubsalmler reach a total length of up to 25 centimeters. They have the typical spindle-shaped body Raubsalmler with large, close-fitting smooth scales. The adipose fin is missing. Upper and lower jaw are strongly dentate. As an adaptation to the low oxygen content desiccating rivers and floodplains allows a pronounced vascular system an accessory breathing about the swimming bladder. This particular metabolic feature also enables quick transitions from one country to the other ( residual) water. In many textbooks Erythrinus found its way in that in him the swim bladder ( lung) not ventral to the foregut arises as with most primitive Osteichthyes, but not dorsal as in the higher Teleostei, but laterally, which was interpreted as a transitional form ( whether but this is really logical, remains to be seen ).

Behavior

The Blue Raubsalmler is a loner. It feeds mainly on smaller fish. His prey acquisition seems wild and " clumsy " to.

Others

The fish is sometimes also kept as an aquarium fish. The offspring has not yet succeeded.

Swell