About Etroplus suratensis (Bloch, 1790)
The green chromide, scientifically known as Etroplus suratensis, is a species of cichlid fish. It is native to fresh and brackish water habitats in parts of India including Kerala, Goa, Chilika Lake in Odisha, and Sri Lanka. This species was first formally described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1790. It, along with other members of the genus Etroplus, is relatively closely related to the Paretroplus cichlids from Madagascar. Other common names for this species are pearlspot cichlid, banded pearlspot, and striped chromide. It has different local names across its native range: in Kerala it is called karimeen, in Tamil Nadu it is called pappan or pappa, in Goa it is called kalundar, in Odisha it is called kundal, and in Sri Lanka it is called Mal koraliya. The green chromide has been introduced to various parts of the world outside its native range, including Singapore, where it lives in estuaries. The Government of Kerala has named the pearlspot the official fish of Kerala. The green chromide inhabits brackish water habitat types, such as river deltas. Its diet consists mainly of aquatic plants, including filamentous algae and diatoms, but it occasionally eats mollusks and other small animal matter. This species provides attentive parental care, with several adults cooperating to care for each brood.
