Perissodus microlepis: taxon details and analytics

Domain
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Cichliformes
Family
Cichlidae
Genus
Perissodus
Species
Perissodus microlepis
Scientific Name
Perissodus microlepis

Summary description from Wikipedia:

Perissodus microlepis

Perissodus microlepis is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. This species reaches a length of 11 centimetres (4.3 in) TL. It is a scale-eating 'parasite' on other fish species. It occurs in two distinct morphological forms. One morph has mouth parts twisted to the left, enabling it to eat scales off its victim's right flank. In contrast, the other morph, whose mouth is twisted to the right, eats scales off its victim's left flank. The relative abundance of the two morphs in populations is regulated by frequency-dependent selection.

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Images from inaturalist.org observations:

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Perissodus microlepis
©Martin Grimm, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Perissodus microlepis
©Oliver Drescher, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Perissodus microlepis
©Oliver Drescher, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Perissodus microlepis
©Oliver Drescher, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Perissodus microlepis
©Oliver Drescher, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Perissodus microlepis
©koblmuel, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Perissodus microlepis
©koblmuel, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Perissodus microlepis
©koblmuel, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Perissodus microlepis
©koblmuel, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)