Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Haplochromis: Greek, Haploos = single + Greek, chromis = a fish, perhaps a perch (Ref. 45335); aquila: Specific name from the Latin 'aquila' for 'eagle'; referring to predatory morphology and large eyes (Ref. 126312).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical
Africa: Lake Edward (Ref. 126312).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 12.3 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 126312)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 14 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 9; Vertebrae: 30. Diagnosis: Species with a piscivorous morphology; eye large, eye diameter 30.0-31.5% of head length; outer oral teeth few and large, 25-37; dominant males light grey with a black head and a bright red anal fin (Ref. 126312). Amongst piscivorous species from the Lake Edward system, H. aquila differs from H. latifrons, H. mentatus, H. rex, H. simba, and H. glaucus by a larger eye, eye diameter 30.0-31.5% of head length vs. 22.2-29.9%; it further differs from H. latifrons and H. mentatus by a shorter caudal peduncle, caudal peduncle length 14.6-15.4% of standard length vs. 15.7-18.0%; further from H. latifrons by the absence vs. presence of a well-defined mid-lateral band; further from H. mentatus by dominant males uniformly light grey vs. yellow-green with a red anterior part of flank; it further differs from H. rex by a shallower lacrimal, lacrimal depth 17.0-19.1% of head length vs. 18.9-22.5%; and dominant males light grey with black operculum and snout vs. cream-coloured with an orange operculum and a light blue snout; it further differs from H. simba by a larger number of scales between first anal-fin spine and upper lateral line, 12-15, raraely 11, vs. 9-11; an absent vs. strongly developed mental prominence; and dominant males light grey with a black head vs. uniformly yellow with an orange anterior part of flank; it further differs from H. glaucus by a broader head, head width 40.1-43.7% of head length vs. 38.9-40.9%; and dominant males light grey with bright red anal and caudal fins vs. light blue with crimson anal and caudal fins (Ref. 126312). It differs from H. kimondo, H. falcatus, H. curvidens, H. pardus, H. quasimodo and H. squamipinnis by the combination of large vs. small outer oral teeth and smaller number of outer upper jaw teeth, 25-37 vs. 39-79; it further differs from H. kimondo, H. falcatus and H. quasimodo by absence vs. mostly presence of a well-defined mid-lateral band and dominant males light grey with a black head vs. grey dorsally and yellow ventrally, olive-green with an orange-red anterior part of flank, or light grey dorsally and blue-black ventrally; further from H. kimondo by a narrower head, head width 40.1-43.7% of head length vs. 42.9-48.0%; it further differs from H. curvidens and H. pardus by a deeper cheek, cheek depth 26.8-30.8% of head length vs. 20.8-24.9%; further from H. pardus by dominant males light grey vs. speckled to uniformly black; it further differs from H. squamipinnis by larger eyes, eye diameter 30.0-31.5% of head length vs. 23.1-29.7%; and dominant males light grey vs. slate blue (Ref. 126312).
Found in inshore areas over muddy substrates (Ref. 126312). Based on its morphology, most probably a piscivorous species (Ref. 126312).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Vranken, N., M. Van Steenberge, A. Heylen, E. Decru and J. Snoeks, 2022. From a pair to a dozen: the piscivorous species of Haplochromis (Cichlidae) from the Lake Edward system. Eur. J. Taxon. 815:1-94. (Ref. 126312)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = No PD50 data [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±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).
