Dear All,
We have collected a fish specimen from a freshwater dam in Palghat, Kerala, India. Identifying the fish was not possible. First I thought it was Pelmatolapia mariae; then a friend pointed out it can be Dario urops.
The size of the fish is about 12cms. It is now being grown in an earthen pond and was found to produce offspring (1 or 2) in different periods throughout the year. I reached this conclusion as the hatchlings were of different size while checking. The hatchlings are darker in colour.
Pictures are attached along. Expecting a positive response in identifying the Fish!
Wishing you all a good day ahead!
Could it be a hybrid? If not, have you researched Astatotilapia flaviijosephi? I understand coloration can be misleading and is not the best trait for fish identification, however, that is all I have to go on with these pictures. The markings are similar to your species. Also, the species I have suggested, however, is found most often in Israel, not India. If you can get dorsal and anal ray/spine counts, that would certainly narrow your options, as would a teeth and gill raker morphology. Also, as a thought, your fish seem to take the female's dimorphic coloration.
Hope this helps! If you do identify them, I would love to know what your research found!
Dear Ma'am
Thank you for shedding light into this topic! :)
The photo and information that you have shared seems identical to the fish we are rearing.
To think of it, a fish species from Israel to be found in India without introduction; how slim are the chances? The fishes are in our pond, let me study the morphology the next time we catch so that we can conclude.
Thank you so much for your support and wishes!
Cheers!!
This is certainly not a badid fish (so not identical with Dario urops), but rather a cichlid fish. The image is not very clear, but the colour pattern and body shape really looks very much like Astatotilapia flaviijosephi. Some taxonomic literature with images and morphological details of that species include the following, which may be of interest:
Lortet, L. 1883. Études zoologiques sur la faune du lac de Tibériade, suivies d'un aperçu sur la faune des lacs d'Antioche et de Homs. I. Poissons et reptiles du lac de Tibériade et de quelques autres parties de la Syrie. Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Lyon v. 3: 99-189, Pls. 6-18.
Krupp, F. and W. Schneider 1989. The fishes of the Jordan River drainage basin and Azraq Oasis. Fauna of Saudia Arabia v. 10: 347-416.
A. flaviijosephi reaches about 13 cm TL, and is sometimes kept as an aquarium fish.
Dear Sir,
Thank you so much for sharing the information!
This seems to be certainly from the Cichlid family. I am waiting to check the morphological features of the fish once we catch it from the pond. Meanwhile I will go through the data available over A. flaviijosephi
Thank you again for dedicating your time on this matter. Wishing you the best!!
Regards,
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