Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Petrotilapia: Latin,petra = stone + Bechuana, African native thiape = fish (Ref. 45335); pyroscelos: The name pyroscelos is from the Greek pyros, meaning fire, and skelos, meaning leg, referring to the pelvic fins of males that have the color of fire; a noun in apposition (Ref. 87181).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical; 12°S - 13°S, 34°E - 35°E
Africa: Lake Malawi in Malawi (Ref. 87181).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 87181)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 17 - 19; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 8. Diagnosis: The dark submarginal band in the spinous part of the dorsal fin of both male and female distinguishes Petrotilapia pyroscelos from P. tridentiger, P. xanthos, P. flaviventris, and P. palingnathos, which lack such a band (Ref. 87181). Males of P. pyroscelos have blue and bronze ground color with 7-9 gray vertical bars, whitish to gray throat and purple cheek, which distinguishes it from P. genalutea, P. nigra, P. chrysos, P. microgalana and P. mumboensis; males of P. genalutea are dull gray-blue with 5-7 black vertical bars, have an orange-yellow cheek, and a black throat; males of P. nigra and P. chrysos are predominantly blue-black with 7-10 gray/brown bars, have a dark blue cheek, and a black throat; males of P. microgalana are bright blue with 5-7 faint black vertical bars, and have a light blue cheek and a yellow throat, while those of P. mumboensis are blue with 8 dark blue vertical bars, light blue cheeks, and a light blue to gray gular region (Ref. 87181). Females of P. pyroscelos are brown with faint blue and yellow highlights with a conspicuous black submarginal band in the dorsal fin; females of P. pyroscelos are distinguished from those of P. genalutea, P. nigra, P. chrysos, and P. microgalana by the brown to gray ground color on the flank which is beige or yellow in the other species and are distinguished from females of P. mumboensis which lack any horizontal elements of the flank’s pigmentation pattern (Ref. 87181).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Lundeba, M., J.R. Stauffer Jr. and A. F. Konings, 2011. Five new species of the genus Petrotilapia (Teleostei: Cichlidae), from Lake Malawi, Africa. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 22(2):149-168. (Ref. 87181)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5010 [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).
