Photo: פעיל למען זכויות אדם, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Striped panchax
Aplocheilus lineatus
10 cm
Adult size
60 L
Minimum volume
5
Minimum group
3 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Aplocheilus
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- small group
In the wild
Overview
Described in 1846 by Achille Valenciennes from fish caught at Bombay (Mumbai), the striped panchax is a large surface-dwelling killi that reaches 10 cm. The greenish males are dotted with golden scales and bear thin dark bars on the rear of the body.
The golden “golden wonder” form, very widespread in the hobby, was bred in captivity and does not exist in the wild. In its home country the species is used to control mosquito larvae.
- Scientific name
- Aplocheilus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1846)
- Classification
- Cyprinodontiformes › Aplocheilidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Peninsular India and northern Sri Lanka
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It is widely distributed across peninsular India and northern Sri Lanka; it has been introduced in Singapore and Hong Kong.
It occupies very varied habitats: mountain streams and lakes, lowland wells, rice fields, marshes and even the brackish water of estuaries. Unlike many killis, it lives in permanent waters and is not annual; it stays mostly under floating or overhanging vegetation.
Behaviour
A surface predator, it hunts insects and small fish: keep it with peaceful species too large to be swallowed (calm cichlids, large tetras, corydoras, loricariids). It can be aggressive towards its own kind, but a group works in a large enough tank.
An excellent jumper, it needs a well-covered aquarium. It breeds easily: the sticky eggs are laid among fine-leaved plants or a spawning mop.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth