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Teleostei (teleosts) > Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) > Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Protomelas: Greek, protos = the first + Greek, melas, melanos = black (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic; depth range 2 - 10 m (Ref. 26731). Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Africa: restricted to Chinyankwazi and Chinyamwezi Islands in the southeast arm of Lake Malawi. No specimens were observed elsewhere during the numerous diving expeditions throughout the southeast arm over the past 10 years.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 13.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26731)

Observed feeding on plankton in the water column and foraging on attached algae. Males establish breeding territories on rocks; one female captured had young in her mouth (Ref. 26731).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Kullander, Sven O. | Collaborators

Stauffer, J.R. Jr., 1993. A new species of Protomelas (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi, Africa. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 4(4):343-350. (Ref. 26731)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

Vulnerable (VU) (D2); Date assessed: 31 January 2006

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
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Abundance

Life cycle
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Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
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Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics

Distribution
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Anatomy
Gill area
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Otolith

Physiology
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Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
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Visual pigments
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Toxicity (LC50s)

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Genetics
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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.7 ±0.30 se; based on food items.

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).

Protomelas dejunctus Stauffer, 1993