Titicaca Orestias
Encyclopedia
The Titicaca Orestias also known by its native name Amanto, is an extinct freshwater killifish
from the genus Orestias
, a group of fish which is endemic to the Lake Titicaca
and other Altiplano
lakes in the Andes
. With a body length of 22 cm it was the largest member within that genus.
Its mouth was nearly turned upwards and therefore the flat head had a dished shape. The head took nearly one third of the entire body length. The upperside was greenish-yellow to umber. The lower jaw was black. They had scales which were oddly light coloured at their centre. The scales of the young were blotched.
The Titica Orestias became extinct due the competition of introduced trouts like the Lake trout
, Brown trout
, or the Rainbow trout
as well as silversides
(Atherinidae) from the 1930s to the 1950s. A survey in 1962 failed to find any fish.
Killifish
A killifish is any of various oviparous cyprinodontiform fish . Altogether, there are some 1270 different species of killifish, the biggest family being Rivulidae, containing more than 320 species...
from the genus Orestias
Orestias (Cyprinodontidae)
Orestias is a genus of pupfish. Older systematics classified them into the own family Orestiidae. They are carnivorous plankton feeders and can reach a length between 9 and 22 centimetres. Their most characteristic feature is the absence of the ventral fin...
, a group of fish which is endemic to the Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
and other Altiplano
Altiplano
The Altiplano , in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet...
lakes in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. With a body length of 22 cm it was the largest member within that genus.
Its mouth was nearly turned upwards and therefore the flat head had a dished shape. The head took nearly one third of the entire body length. The upperside was greenish-yellow to umber. The lower jaw was black. They had scales which were oddly light coloured at their centre. The scales of the young were blotched.
The Titica Orestias became extinct due the competition of introduced trouts like the Lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
, Brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, or the Rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
as well as silversides
Silverside (fish)
The Old World silversides are a family, Atherinidae, of fish in the order Atheriniformes. They occur worldwide in tropical and temperate waters...
(Atherinidae) from the 1930s to the 1950s. A survey in 1962 failed to find any fish.