The striped panchax (Aplocheilus lineatus, see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/18-toothcarps-killis-and-livebearers/aplocheilus-lineatus-wild-2/) from southern India is one of the most popular aquarium fish thanks to its splendid colors, easy care and breedability. It has only one disadvantage: at around 10 cm in length, it does grow quite large.
A close relative of the striped panchax from Sri Lanka – the green panchax, Aplocheilus dayi – shares all the positive characteristics of the striped panchax, but remains considerably smaller at around 7 cm. Until 7,000 years ago, India and Sri Lanka were connected by a land bridge; the freshwater fish are therefore closely related.
Two “subspecies” of the green panchax live in Sri Lanka, A. dayi dayi and A. dayi werneri. The males of A. dayi have irregular black speckles on their bodies, while those of A. werneri have vertical zebra-like stripes. A. werneri was described on the basis of females. Some females of A. werneri (by no means all) have a horizontal deep black band on the lower half of the body. Rohan Pethiyagoda (Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka) established in 1991 that the distribution areas of A. dayi (Kelani basin and adjacent coastal areas) and A. werneri (inland at altitudes around 200 m from Kalu to Nilwala) do not overlap. They are therefore good species, not subspecies.
We have just been able to import A. dayi from Sri Lanka again after more than 10 years.
The green panchax is an ideal fish for community tanks with Asian fish, where it enlivens the surface. The water composition is not important for this species, the temperature should be between 22 and 28°C. The animals spawn between Java moss and similar. The large, hard-shelled eggs can easily be picked off with the fingers and placed in a bowl of water to develop. The young hatch after about 12-14 days and eat Artemia nauplii from the very beginning.
Lexicon: Aplocheilus: means “with simple lip”, refers to the mouth structure. lineatus: Latin, means “lined”, refers to the pattern. werneri: dedicatory name for A. Werner, Munich. dayi: dedicatory name for the zoologist Francis Day (1829-1889).
Common name: Green Panchax
For our customers: A. dayi has code 303303 (lg) and 303304 (xlg) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
