Edit Datnioides polota

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Name

Scientific name

Datnioides polota

Described by

Authority Hamilton, Year 1822, Bracketed

Family

Datnioididae

Common names

Silver Tiger Perch

Photograph credits

All 6 credited

Summary

The silver tiger perch, Datnioides polota, is a tiger perch widely distributed in southeastern Asia, from India and Bangladesh east to Indo…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

300mm, standard length

Aquarium size

Minimum length 180 cm, Minimum depth 60 cm

Water

Water conditions

Temperature 20–28°C, pH 7.5–9

Hardness

15–30dGH

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Not recorded

Community suitability

Not for a community

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Bago, Barito, Bernam, Chao Phraya, Chilka, Ganges, Hooghly, Mahanadi, Mekong, Melaka, Perak, Rajang, Salween, Sambas, Sarawak, Songkhla, Tha Taphap, Thanlyin, Yangon

Writing

Etymology

Datnioides: from the genus name Datnia and Ancient Greek εἶδος (eîdos), meaning 'form, likeness'. polota: possibly derived from a Bengali vernacular name for t…

Distribution

Currently understood to be widely distributed in Southeastern Asia, with confirmed records from India (Chilka Lake, Mahanadi and Hooghly rivers), Bangladesh (G…

Habitat

Mostly inhabits brackish habitats such as estuaries, mangroves, coastal lagoons, irrigation canals, and the lower reaches of rivers, but has occasionally been …

Aquarium size

An aquarium with base dimensions of 180 ∗ 60 cm should be the minimum considered.

Maintenance

Juveniles and subadults should be provided with a well-decorated aquarium with driftwood branches or mangrove roots. Larger individuals are relatively unfussy,…

Water conditions

Not written yet

Diet

An efficient predator with highly protrusible mouthparts, feeding chiefly on smaller fishes and crustaceans. In the aquarium, juveniles can be offered chironom…

Behaviour and compatibility

Can be maintained alongside similarly-sized fishes if sufficient space is available, but might be intimidated by territorial or otherwise competitive species. …

Sexual dimorphism

Unknown.

Reproduction

Unreported.

Notes

In aquarium literature this species is also known as 'silver tiger fish', 'American tiger fish (or 'AT')', 'silver datnoid', and 'silver dat'. The common name …

In aquarium literature this species is also known as 'silver tiger fish', 'American tiger fish (or 'AT')', 'silver datnoid', and 'silver dat'. The common name of 'tiger fish' is also used in reference to the African alestid genus Hydrocynus, therefore the more appropriate 'tiger perch' was suggested by Roberts and Kottelat (1994)[7].

D. polota is sometimes referred to as D. quadrifasciatus (Sevastianov, 1809) but the original name of the latter, Chaetodon quadrifasciatus Sevastianov, 1809, is a junior primary homonym of the older Chaetodon quadrifasciatus Bloch & Schneider 1801, thus Coius polota Hamilton, 1822 takes precedence.

D. polota is distinguished from all congeners by the following combination of characters: colour pattern highly variable, up to 7 dark body bars, sometimes with 1-4 smaller bars between (vs. 6-7 wide bars in D. microlepis; 4-5 wide bars in D. pulcher; 4 thin bars sometimes with a single partial bar in D. undecimradiatus; 4-6 wide bars with diffuse margins in D. campbelli); predorsal profile distinctly concave (vs. almost straight in D. microlepis, D. pulcher and D. undecimradiatus); 20-23 rakers on the first gill arch (vs. 15-17 in D. campbelli); 9 branched anal-fin rays (vs. usually 10 in D. campbelli); body scales large, with 40-60 in the lateral series (vs. small, 70-100 in the lateral series in D. microlepis, D. pulcher and D. undecimradiatus).

Following Kottelat (2001), the genus Datnioides is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: second spinous anal-fin ray longer than the first and third rays; presence of fine teeth and 2-3 blunt spines on the edge of the opercle; 50+ lateral line scales; barred colour pattern.

Members were included in the genus Coius during the 1990s, but Coius is now considered to be a synonym of the genus Anabas (Kottelat, 2000)[8]. The former family name Coiidae is thus a synonym of Anabantidae, and Datnioides species comprise the monotypic family Datnioididae. The genus has also been included in the marine tripletail family Lobotidae in the past, and preliminary phylogenetic analyses suggest a close relationship these two groups.

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References

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Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Common names

Photograph credits

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Aquarium size

Water

Water conditions

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Writing

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References