The green chromide (''Etroplus suratensis'') is a species of cichlid fish that is native to fresh and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

water habitats in some parts in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

such as

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, Chilika Lake in

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

and Sri Lanka. The species was first described by

Marcus Elieser Bloch Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) was a German physician and naturalist who is best known for his contribution to ichthyology through his multi-volume catalog of plates illustrating the fishes of the world. Brought up in a Hebrew-speaking Jewish ...

in 1790. This species and other members of the genus ''

Etroplus ''Etroplus'' is a small genus of cichlids native to southern India and Sri Lanka. Together with ''Pseudetroplus'' (which formerly was included in ''Etroplus''), they are the only ciclids of this region. Their closest living relatives are ''Par ...

'' are relatively closely related to the ''

Paretroplus ''Paretroplus'' is a genus of fishes in the cichlid family, all of which are endemic to lakes and rivers of Madagascar. The vast majority are threatened and restricted to the northwestern part of the island.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of t ...

'' cichlids from

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. Other common names include pearlspot cichlid, banded pearlspot, and striped chromide. In

, it is known locally as ''karimeen''. In

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

, it is known locally as the ''pappan'' or ''pappa'' In

, the fish is known as ''kalundar''. In Odisha, the local name is ''kundal''. In Sri Lanka this fish is known as ''Mal koraliya''. It has been introduced in various parts of the world outside its native range, including

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, where it occurs in

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...

. The

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior mini ...

declared pearlspot as the official fish of

Habitat and behavior

The green chromide lives in

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

habitat types, such as river deltas. It eats mainly aquatic plants, including filamentous algae and diatoms, but it consumes the occasional

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

and other animal matter. This species engages in attentive parental care in which several adults care for each brood.

Appearance

The adult is oval in shape with a short snout. It is grey green with dark barring and a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin. It commonly reaches in length, and the maximum length is twice that.

Relationship with humans

Etroplus suratensis is a popular food fish and it is considered a delicacy. ''Etroplus suratensis'' and '' E. maculatus'' form the main species and the former is dominant among pearl spots in reservoirs of India. They mainly feed on detritus and occupy the same niche as that of ''

Oreochromis mossambicus ''Oreochromis'' is a large genus of oreochromine cichlids, fishes endemic to Africa and the Middle East. A few species from this genus have been introduced far outside their native range and are important in aquaculture. Many others have ver ...

''. These fishes are a popular delicacy but their biomass is very low in reservoirs compared to other cichlids. In 2010 this species was named the official state fish of

. The following year was declared "The Year of the Karimeen". Karimeen pollichathu, a fried dish, is a delicacy served in restaurants. Due to low number of production and high demand, the species have often been expensive to the public. Production of the species for food is expected to increase in the near future.

References

External links

Pearl-spot.
Fresh water fishes of Karnataka. ENVIS Centre. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1519619 suratensis Fish of South Asia Cichlid fish of Asia Fish of India Fish of Sri Lanka Kerala cuisine Fish described in 1790 Brackish water organisms Taxa named by Marcus Elieser Bloch