Canara pearlspot
Etroplus canarensis
There are only three known representatives of cichlids in India, whereas they are much more diverse in Africa and the rest of Asia. The Canara pearlspot was thought to be extinct until 1992, but was then rediscovered as part of a comprehensive species inventory project. However, the species appears to have dwindled to a very small population (genetic bottleneck) and thus exhibits low genetic diversity. Normally, the Canara pearlspot is golden yellow to beige in color with dark grey to grey-brown vertical stripes. Depending on the time of day, the stripes and the golden color pattern appear slightly different, sometimes paler or stronger.
| Classification | Cichlids (Cichlidae, 1700 species) |
| Habitat | in rivers of southwest India |
| Behaviour | in groups with clear hierarchy |
| Food | insects, molluscs, crustaceans, algae |
| Body length | up to 11.5 cm |
| Breeding | clutch on stones and pieces of wood, brood care by parent pair |
| Brood duration | a few days |
| Life expectancy | unknown |
| Use | aquaristics, food fish |
| Current population | unknown, currently relatively stable |
| At Zurich Zoo since | 2025 |
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