The cichlids of the genus Teleocichla are very closely related to Crenicichla. They remain relatively small, the T. preta discussed here is one of the largest species with a maximum length of 15 cm. The swim bladder is greatly reduced in Teleocichla. Without active swimming movements, they cannot stay afloat. Ecologically, the Teleocichla could be described as current-loving small animal eaters. They are cave breeders with a parent family.
There are at least seven different Teleocichla species in the Rio Xingu in Brazil, but only five of these have been scientifically described to date. In 1996, the four previously undescribed species were therefore simply named Teleocichla sp. Xingu I – Teleocichla sp. Xingu IV. Teleocichla sp. Xingu I was described in 2002 as T. centisquama, T. sp IV in 2016 as T. preta. The species name “preta” means “black” and even in the hobby the species was occasionally referred to as T. sp. “Schwarz” (or “Black”). This is because freshly caught fully grown animals are always pitch black. They also present themselves in this coloration in the biotope. We show here a picture of a freshly caught T. preta, many thanks to Uwe Werner, who provided us with this document, which he took on site in 1996.
This rocky-area-dwelling species has remained largely unknown to aquarists. This is also due to the fact that no reliable sexual differences were known until now. Now we have finally been able to import a larger number of sexually mature specimens (length 8-10 cm). There are clear differences in the coloration of the dorsal fins. Some animals have a deep black longitudinal band, which the others lack. Based on the body shape, the animals with the black longitudinal band appear to be the females.
These fish proved to be extremely peaceful among themselves. Why do they not show the black color? Nobody knows (yet). Perhaps this rare import will help to solve the mystery.
In order to keep you informed about beautiful and interesting aquarium inhabitants during the vacation season, we have prepared some posts for publication at a later date. This is one of them. Unfortunately, the animals shown are already sold out, sorry.
We have also made a short movie about these fish, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tign9El8naI
For our customers: the animals have code 687964 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer & Uwe Werner
