Characodon lateralis
Family:- Characodon, Gunther 1866
Family:- Goodeidae Jordan,1923.
Synonyms:- Characodon garmani, Jordan and Evermann 1898
Habitat range:- Durango Area, Mexico.
Dorsal fin ray count:- from 11 to 13
Wild Size:- Males 3 to 4 cm. Females 3'5 to 5'5cm
Description:- The body of the male of this species is very much the shape of a chubby torpedo.The red in the males can vary from almost non existent to blood red, this variation is quite noticeable even in wild specimens and there can also be some black blotches or spots on the body of some specimens around the lateral line.There is also a greenish/bronze undersheen picking out each scale but this fades towards the belly of the fish.Also there is slight evidence of a darker lateral line that runs from tip to tail through it's eye to the caudal peduncle. Most of it's fins near the body are red too but this pales significantly towards the outside of each fin were there is a light area before you get a black edging to the fin.and both the dorsal and anal fins are positioned well back on the body. Also it would appear that the males mature at a later age than the females as colonies of young fish rarely seem to get pregnant unless there is an older male amongst them.
The female although still shaped like a chubby torpedo too is a little deeper bodied than the male but has no red just the greenish/bronze undersheen to the scales but these usually become paler the near you get to it's belly. However generally speaking the female has more pronounced black blotches along it's lateral line than the males, but her fins are almost clear.
The first specimens of this species was imported to Europe by Ivan Dibble in the early 1980's, these where from the Los Berros habitat via the A.L.A.in America. Who bred them and passed them on to scientists and fish keepers throughout Europe.Later some were brought in by Derek Lambert however to this day it has never become very widely maintained as few people seem willing to give the species the care it demands for very long.Fortunately though a few do maintain it.
In the Aquarium this species gives the impression of being quite shy and retiring. However I now believe that is more likely to be because the males can be quite dominant, and in the wild they are often the ones found out swimming in more open waters while the females hide in what ever cover they can find. So in the aquarium they do better in tanks with a lot of cover like either plants of flower pots etc. If kept in too cool an aquarium ( Below 70'F ) the breeding activity can slow right down or even stop if it is too cold, the optimum though would seem to be between 72 & 78'F. The most essential thing though being a weekly water change of around 30 or 40% and a good diet which should include a high proportion of live food and some green food i.e. "Peas" cooked just as you would for yourself. (Do not worry if you add salt & or sugar to your peas in cooking that's OK.) Just pop them very briefly in the blender then feed them directly to the fish in small quantities. Feed only as much as your fish will eat in a few minutes, but it can be very beneficial as the Goodied has a long digestive track when compared to most fish. However livefood like Mosquito lava etc if fed regularly will turn them on as long as they are kept clean. If very well fed these species well not eat there fry, but most of us will need to isolate a gravid female in a small tank with as much cover as possible in order to get some fry to survive, . What ever cover you give the fry, it should be lose enough for them to be able to get amongst it away from the female as well as allowing them to get to the surface to fill there air sacks as they can be very weak and vulnerable at birth but at the same time it must be robust enough to stop her if the mother makes a dive at the young.After birth remove the female and the cover you gave the young and allow them to grow on for 7 or 8 weeks at least before returning them to the colony, by which time they should be nearly sexable.The fry are quite large at birth and will grow rapidly on a diet of Freshly hatched Brine shrimp & or sifted Daphnia but they will also take some fry flake food or the well mash centers of a cooked pea or two ( But watch the pollution), and when they are very young I like to give them some micro worm. The average brood size of a mature female will be between 10 and 16 however broods of as many as 30 have been recorded. When maintained at there optimum temperature and condition this species has in the aquarium a gestation period of around eight weeks, and it is always easier to breed from young females.Another reason I like to breed from young fish is that although I have not been able to decide exactly at what age it happens, it does appear that the females go through a menopause state just like the human female after which they can continue to grow but have no more young.
Habitat
One of the more attractive Goodieds from the area around Durango where of recent years this species has been in sever decline having disappeared from many of it's former habitats and being in only small numbers in many others. The site above is situated north of Durango on Route 45 towards Canatlan then head for the village of Crucero Guadalupe Agoilera. After passing through this village take the next turning right. Then go for about 5 Klm and take a dirt track on the right that seemingly leads nowhere. If you are in the right place this is an almost entirely barren area were even some of the cactus are dying. After about I klm of this you should see some trees, head for these and you should find a small spring in a rocky outcrop surrounded by trees and this is the home of some of the deepest blood red Characodon lateralis that I have ever seen, the water temp, here was 22c. We tried another slightly better dirt track on the way back and after 5 klm we came to the village of Venustiano Carranza and the villagers told us that were we had been was there spring so we gave it that name.
Above is the site at Los Berros near Durango, that is the origonal type habita for the species. It is now yet another playground for the locals and the Characodon latteralis seem to be in decline here.The other fish we found here were Xiph helleri. Tilapia, Carp and Tetra’s.
Return to either