Chindongo Bellicosus

📖 Overview

Chindongo Bellicosus (Chindongo bellicosus), first described by Li, Konings & Stauffer, 2016 is a small fish. Adults typically reach 9.30 cm in maximum length. It inhabits freshwater systems including rivers, streams, and lakes. It occurs in Tropical waters. It is broadly omnivorous, taking invertebrates, plant matter, and detritus. On the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Least Concern.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 17 - 19; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 9. Diagnosis: The possession of following characteristics place this species in Chindongo: the presence of bicuspid teeth in the outer row of both upper and lower jaws; a vomer without a bulbous rostral tip and angled 53-68° with the parasphenoid; and small mouth with isognathic to slightly retrognathic jaws . Morphologically Chindongo bellicosus is difficult to distinguish from most congenerics, but male and female colour patterns provide usable distinctions between most of them; C. bellicosus is characterized by 6-8 dark,vertical bars below the dorsal fin and is thus distinguished from C. demasoni, 4 bars, and C. saulosi, 5 bars; it is further distinguished from the latter species by a shallower body, body depth 22.8-30.9% of standard length vs. 31.3-37.0% in C. saulosi; female and juvenile male C. bellicosus have light beige to bluish ground colour and are distinguished from those of C. saulosi and C. heteropictus which are entirely yellow, and from those of C. demasoni which are blue with black bars and from female C. socolofi which are light blue without bars; Chindingo bellicosus is distinguished from C. minutus by a larger number of gill rakers on the first ceratobranchial, 10-13 vs. 7 in C. minutus, and by a shallower body, body depth 22.8-30.9% of standard length vs. 31.1-35.5% in C. minutus; it can be distinguished from C. elongatus by its incomplete barring pattern that lacks bars on the posterior half of the flank and on the caudal peduncle while both male and female C. elongatus exhibit a bar pattern over the full length of the flank and caudal peduncle; it can be distinguished from C. ater by its barring pattern which is still visible in very dark individuals while absent in male C. ater; females of the latter species may sometimes show a few faint bars but their body colouration is blue, lacking any yellow pigment, while that of female C. bellicosus always contains yellow pigment; Chindongo cyaneus is distinguished from C. bellicosus by the yellow cheek and breast which is black in male and gray to brown in female C. bellicosus; male C. flavus differ from those of C. bellicosus by their bright yellow/mustard ground colour, but females can have a similar colouration; female C. bellicosus have on average a deeper cheek than those of C. flavus, 25.6% of head length vs. 20.7%, but the ranges are overlapping, 21.6-30.9% of head length vs. 17.4-23.4%; male C. bellicosus are distinguished from those of C. longior by a black cheek and breast while this is fawn to gray-brown in C. longior; female C. longior are fawn with distinct black margins in the dorsal and anal fins while similar-coloured females of C. bellicosus lack such distinct black margins . : elongated.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Chindongo Bellicosus is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

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