Perissodus microlepis

{{Short description|Species of fish}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Wild catch of Perissodus microlepis (male) - AMCK 10959.jpg

| image_caption = Adult male

| image2 = Perissodus microlepis juvenile in aquarium.jpg

| image2_caption = Juvenile

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Bigirimana, C. |date=2006 |title=Perissodus microlepis |volume=2006 |page=e.T60649A12391511 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T60649A12391511.en |access-date=17 November 2021}}

| taxon = Perissodus microlepis

| authority = Boulenger, 1898

| synonyms = * Perissodus burgeoni L. R. David, 1936

• Perissodus gracilis G. S. Myers, 1936

}}

Perissodus microlepis is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.{{FishBase |genus= Perissodus|species= microlepis| month = April | year = 2013}} This species reaches a length of {{convert|11|cm|in}} TL. It is a scale-eating 'parasite' on other fish species. It occurs in two distinct morphological forms. One morph has mouth parts twisted to the left, enabling it to eat scales off its victim's right flank. In contrast, the other morph, whose mouth is twisted to the right, eats scales off its victim's left flank. The relative abundance of the two morphs in populations is regulated by frequency-dependent selection.Hori, M. 1993. [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/260/5105/216 Frequency-dependent natural selection in the handedness of scale-eating cichlid fish]. Science 260: 216–219.Stewart, T. A. and Albertson, R. C. (2010) [http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/8 "Evolution of a unique predatory feeding apparatus: functional anatomy, development and a genetic locus for jaw laterality in Lake Tanganyika scale-eating cichlids"] BMC Biology, 8 (1): 8. {{doi|10.1186/1741-7007-8-8}}Lee, Hyuk Je; Kusche, Henrik; Meyer, Axel (2012) Handed foraging behavior in scale-eating cichlid fish : Its potential role in shaping morphological asymmetry. PLoS ONE 7: e44670. {{doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0044670}}Takeuchi Y, Hori M, Oda Y. (2012) Lateralized kinematics of predation behavior in a Lake Tanganyika scale-eating cichlid fish. PLoS ONE 7: e29272. {{doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0029272}}

File:Dorsal view of right-bending and left-bending mouth morphs of the cichlid Perissodus microlepis - journal.pone.0044670.g001.png|Dorsal view of right-bending (left) and left-bending (right) mouth morphs

File:Lateralized-Kinematics-of-Predation-Behavior-in-a-Lake-Tanganyika-Scale-Eating-Cichlid-Fish-pone.0029272.s002.ogv|Predation behaviour of a right-bending mouth morph