Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Labeotropheus: Latin, labeo = one who has large lips + Greek, tropaion = defeat, a memorial of a fighting war, trophy; because of their specialized teeth were such an obvious feeding adaptation (Ref. 45335); obscurus: The specific epithet is the masculine form of the Latin adjective obscurus, meaning dark, dusky, or shadowy, in reference to the muted and mostly grey male nuptial colour pattern, which is unusual for a species of Labeotropheus (Ref. 128773).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: Malawi.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 128773)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 16 - 18; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 8. Diagnosis: Labeotropheus obscurus differs from all other species of Labeotropheus due to the unusually drab and muted colouration of sexually mature males; male nuptial colour pattern dominated by grey and brown pigmentation, with some blue and orange highlights on scales and fins, as opposed to a nuptial colour pattern dominated by blue, orange, or red pigmentation (Ref. 128773). Labeotropheus obscurus differs from the slender-bodied Labeotropheus species, L. trewavasae, L. simoneae, and L. chirangali, but not L. rubidorsalis, due to its greater body depth, 35.2-41.5% of standard length vs. 26.3-33.4% in L. trewavasae, 26.9-30.8% in L. simoneae and 26.6-33.2% in L. chirangali; it typically has a greater body depth than L. rubidorsalis, although the ranges slightly overlap, 31.6-36.1% of standard length in L. rubidorsalis; overall, L. obscurus does have a deeper body than L. rubidorsalis as indicated by several other measurements akin to body depth, including the distance between the origin of the dorsal fin and the origin of the anal fin, 50.8-56.3% of standard length vs. 45.6-50.3%, the distance between the insertion of the dorsal fin and the insertion of the anal fin, 15.8-17.8% of standard length vs. 13.5-15.7%, the distance between the insertion of the dorsal fin and the origin of the anal fin, 30.3-33.2% of standard length vs. 27.6-30.3%, and the distance between the origin of the dorsal fin and the attachment of the pelvic fins, 35.4-40.5% of standard length vs. 31.5-35.4% (Ref. 128773). Labeotropheus obscurus has a distinctly larger eye diameter than several of the robust species of L.abeotropheus, 27.3-32.4% of head length vs. 23.7-26.6% in L. fuelleborni, 22.6-25.5% in L. chlorosiglos, and 24.9-27.5% in L. alticodia; it also has fewer rows of teeth in the upper jaw than all robust Labeotropheus except L. alticodia, 3-4 vs. 4-5 in L. fuelleborni, 5-7 in L. chlorosiglos, 5-8 in L. artatorostris, 4-6 in L. aurantinfra, and 4-6 in L. candipygia, and fewer teeth in the left side of the lower jaw, 20-26 vs. 31-43 in L. fuelleborni, 30-37 in L. chlorosiglos and 29-35 in L. alticodia (Ref. 128773).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Pauers, M.J. and T.B. Phiri, 2023. Six new species of Labeotropheus (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) from the Malawian shore of Lake Malawi, Africa. Ichthyology & Herpetology 111(2):264-292. (Ref. 128773)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = No PD50 data [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01445 (0.00674 - 0.03099), b=2.99 (2.82 - 3.16), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
