Green chromide facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Green chromide |
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The green chromide (Etroplus suratensis) is a type of cichlid fish. It lives in both fresh and brackish water. Brackish water is a mix of fresh and salty water, like where rivers meet the sea. You can find this fish in parts of India, including Kerala, Goa, and Chilika Lake in Odisha. It also lives in Sri Lanka.
A scientist named Marcus Elieser Bloch first described this fish in 1790. The green chromide has many other common names. People sometimes call it the pearlspot cichlid, banded pearlspot, or striped chromide. In Kerala, it is known as karimeen. In Tamil Nadu, it's called pappan or pappa. In Goa, people call it kalundar, and in Odisha, it's kundal. In Sri Lanka, its name is Mal koraliya.
This fish has also been moved to other parts of the world. For example, it now lives in Singapore in places where rivers meet the sea, called estuaries. The Government of Kerala has even made the pearlspot its official state fish!
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Where Green Chromides Live and What They Do
The green chromide prefers to live in brackish water areas. This includes places like river deltas, where fresh river water mixes with salty ocean water.
These fish mainly eat plants that grow in the water. Their diet includes stringy algae and tiny plant-like organisms called diatoms. Sometimes, they also eat small animals like mollusks. Green chromides are very caring parents. Several adult fish will work together to look after their young.
What Green Chromides Look Like
Adult green chromides have an oval shape. They have a short snout, which is the part of their head in front of their eyes. Their bodies are grey-green in color with dark stripes. They also have a dark spot near their pectoral fin, which is the fin on their side.
These fish commonly grow to about 20 centimeters (8 inches) long. However, some can grow much larger, even up to twice that length!
Green Chromides and People
The Etroplus suratensis is a very popular fish to eat. Many people consider it a special food, or a "delicacy."
In 2010, the green chromide was chosen as the official state fish of Kerala. The next year, 2011, was even called "The Year of the Karimeen" to celebrate this fish. A famous dish in Kerala is "Karimeen pollichatthu," which is a fried fish dish. Because there aren't always enough of these fish caught to meet demand, they can sometimes be expensive. People hope to increase the number of green chromides available for food in the future.
See also
In Spanish: Etroplus suratensis para niños
