''Plecodus straeleni'' is a species of

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...

fish that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...

in East Africa. This species can reach a

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of . Like all species of ''

Plecodus ''Plecodus'' is a genus of cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. They feed on scales. Species There are currently four recognized species in this genus: * ''Plecodus elaviae'' Poll, 1949 * ''Plecodus multidentatus'' Poll, 1952 * ''Plec ...

'', this fish is a

scale-eater Lepidophagy is a specialised feeding behaviour in fish that involves eating the scales of other fish. Lepidophagy is widespread, having evolved independently in at least five freshwater families and seven marine families. A related feeding beh ...

. Unlike other members of its genus, it has a distinctive striped pattern and closely resembles the harmless '' Neolamprologus sexfasciatus''. It uses this

aggressive mimicry Aggressive mimicry is a form of mimicry in which predators, parasites, or parasitoids share similar signals, using a harmless model, allowing them to avoid being correctly identified by their prey or host. Zoologists have repeatedly compared t ...

to be able to approach unsuspecting fish and rapidly take a mouthful of scales.Boileau; Cortesi; Egger; Muschick; Indermaur; Theis; Büscher; and Salzburger (2015). A complex mode of aggressive mimicry in a scale-eating cichlid fish. Biol Lett. 11(9): 20150521. It also resembles the larger '' Cyphotilapia'' and has been recorded swimming among their

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

, but this may be protective rather than aggressive mimicry. Although it may attack the species it mimics, most victims are other species and under some circumstances it will feed on fish eggs.Nshombo, M. (1991). Occasional egg-eating by the scale-eater Plecodus straeleni (Cichlidae) of Lake Tanganyika. Environmental Biology of Fishes 31(2): 207–212. The specific name honours the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

and

carcinologist A carcinologist is a scientist who studies crustaceans or is otherwise involved in carcinology Carcinology is a branch of zoology that consists of the study of crustaceans, a group of arthropods that includes lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, ...

Victor van Straelen Victor van Straelen (14 June 1889 – 29 February 1964) was a Belgian conservationist, palaeontologist and carcinologist. Van Straelen was born in Antwerp on 14 June 1889, and worked chiefly as a palaeontologist until his retirement in 1954. He ...

(1889-1964) who was Director of the

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium (french: Muséum des sciences naturelles de Belgique, nl, Museum voor Natuurwetenschappen van België) is a museum dedicated to natural history, located in Brussels, Belgium. The museum is a part of t ...

References

External links

Photograph
straeleni Taxa named by Max Poll Fish described in 1948 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Cichlidae-stub