| Family: |
Cichlidae (Cichlids), subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae |
| Max. size: |
15.2 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
benthopelagic; freshwater, |
| Distribution: |
Africa: Lake Tumba (middle Congo River basin) in Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ref. 52307, 52346). Report from Lake Mai-Ndombe questionable, possibly an error in locality designation (Ref. 52346). |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 14-15; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-15; Anal soft rays: 7-7; Vertebrae: 28-29. Diagnosis: marked hypertrophy of lateral line canals on flank and caudal fin; inflated preopercular laterosensory canals; distinctive excavation of premaxillary oral valve (Ref. 52346).
Description: moderately deep-bodied; predorsal contour somewhat rounded, being steep over snout, decreasing sharply over eye then rising again to origin of dorsal fin (Ref. 52307, 52346). Deepest body depth along back at or just behind dorsal fin origin; lower jaw more or less along horizontal when mouth is closed; lower jaw slender and gracile (Ref. 52346). Lips thin compared to congeners (Ref. 52307, 52346). Pharyngeal apophysis of Tylochromis type (Ref. 53524). Premaxillary oral valve (= diaphragm of skin that extends across inner edge of upper jaws) forming a flap at entrance to buccal cavity; premaxillary valve deeply excavated medially (Ref. 52346). Eyes relatively large (Ref. 52307). Widely spaced, stout, crenate gill-rakers along outer row of lower limb of first arch; first and second hypobranchial rakers frequently elongate and without crenations; stout epibranchial rakers along upper limb of first arch; vertebral apophysis borne on third and fourth vertebral centra and of standard Tylochromis type; 33-37 lateral line scales; upper branch of lateral line terminates well in advance of end of soft dorsal, often as far back as beneath 9th-10th soft dorsal ray from free end of fin; terminal canal bearing scales do not descend scale rows; in both upper and lower lateral line series pores and canals inflated and prominent; dorsal and ventral lateral line branches on caudal fin also inflated and extending almost to fin periphery; medial branch not noticably inflated but also extending almost to caudal periphery; dorsal fin spines gradually increase to 4th-5th and are then more or less equal in length; anal fin rounded; pectoral fin relatively elongate and normally reaching origin of spinous anal; first branched pelvic ray produced and filamentous, frequently reaching origin of soft anal in ripe males but less produced in females and juveniles (Ref. 52346). Caudal fin slightly forked (Ref. 52307) and finely scaled usually almost to periphery; caudal scaling denser in mature males than in females (Ref. 52346).
Coloration: brownish with a darker back (Ref. 52307). Ethmoidal, preorbital, opercular areas and upper lip dark grey-black; mature males with entire dorsal head surface dark, and separate nape band or opercular blotch not evident; females with less dense head pigmentation and traces of nape band usually evident; blue-black band in neck well developed in males, less developed or absent in females (Ref. 52346). Often with light band directly behind opercle (Ref. 52307). Chest, ventrum, belly, lower lip, jaw and branchiostegal membranes in both sexes creamy yellow (Ref. 52346). Body scales silvery to yellowish with dark margins (Ref. 52307), resulting in appearance of series of longitudinal striations passing through scale rows (Ref. 52346). No traces of vertrical striping in adults, although faint traces of 5-7 stripes evident in juveniles; dorsum dark smokey-grey in mature males but slightly less dark in females and juveniles; dorsal fin in mature males proximally dark smokey grey-black but in membranous interspace between each ray a single large whitish macula is present; distally the membranous interspaces lighter, almost translucent grey, and another row of large whitish maculae is usually present; dorsal fin maculae more numerous and smaller in females and juveniles; anal fin of both sexes unusually patterned, without traces of typical Tylochromis maculae, but with a uniform dark smokey grey soft anal with a single white band traversing it medially; filamentous extension of first pelvic ray creamy white while rest of fin is smokey grey; caudal fin in both sexes smokey grey with a few thin dark stripes in central region in mature males (Ref. 52346). |
| Biology: |
Restricted in its distribution to the lake proper and absent from the surrounding swamps and inundated forest (Ref. 52346). Predominantly a lacustrine form (unusual among Tylochromines)(Ref. 52346). Benthic microphage (Ref. 52346). Feeds mainly upon small organic particles, plants and invertebrates; maternal mouthbrooder that does not pair bond (Ref. 52307). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Endangered (EN); Date assessed: 16 February 2009 (B1ab(v)) Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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