The green chromide (''Etroplus suratensis'') is a species of

cichlid Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...

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 estuari ...

water habitats in some parts in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

such as

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

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 bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Chilika Lake Chilika Lake is the largest brackish water lagoon with estuarine character that sprawls along the east coast of Indian sub-continent in Asia and second largest coastal lagoon in the world, covering an area of over . It is spread over the Puri, ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. 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 cichlids 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, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. 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 the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, 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 an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, 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 environm ...

. The

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

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 estuary ...

habitat types, such as river deltas. It eats mainly aquatic plants, including filamentous

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

and

diatom A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma'') is any member of a large group comprising several Genus, genera of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of Earth's B ...

s, but it consumes the occasional

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

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 Oreochromini, oreochromine cichlids, fishes Endemism, endemic to Africa and the Middle East. A few species from this genus have been Introduced species, introduced far outside their native range and are import ...

''. 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

Habitat and behavior

Appearance

Relationship with humans

See also

References

External links