Cynotilapia

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Cynotilapia
Cynotilapia axelrodi

Cynotilapia axelrodi

Systematics
Ovalentaria
Order : Cichliformes
Family : Cichlids (Cichlidae)
Subfamily : Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe : Haplochromini
Genre : Cynotilapia
Scientific name
Cynotilapia
Regan , 1922

Cynotilapia ( synonym : Microchromis ) is a genus of African cichlids (Cichlidae). In nature they live exclusively in Lake Malawi (which is called Lake Nyassa in Tanzania and Mozambique ) and belongs to the Great Rift Valley. The genus belongs to thembuna boundto the biotope of the rocky coasts .

features

Cynotilapia species are 7 to 10 centimeters long and resemble the species of the genera Maylandia and Pseudotropheus in terms of body shape, color and pattern . In contrast to these growth- eating genera, which have dense, double-pointed teeth, the Cynotilapia species feed on plankton and have teeth that are relatively wide apart and have only one point. Cynotilapia species are not as tightly bound to the rock biotope as other Mbuna species, but usually stay a little away from the rock, sometimes in large schools. Only the adult males, ready to reproduce, stand closer to the ground to defend territories there. As stomach examinations show, they feed more on growth and insect larvae than the non-territorial females and fry. Like all mbuna, the Cynotilapia species are ovophilic mouthbrooders .

species

There are currently five known and numerous previously undescribed species:

literature

  • Andreas Spreinat: Lake Malawi cichlids from Tanzania. Unitext Verlag, 1994, ISBN 3-926142-42-1

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Li, S., Konings, AF & Stauffer, JR Jr. (2016): A Revision of the Pseudotropheus elongatus species group (Teleostei: Cichlidae) With Description of a New Genus and Seven New Species. Zootaxa , 4168 (2): 353-381. DOI: 10.11646 / zootaxa.4168.2.9
  2. ^ Ad Konings: Some critical remarks on Cynotilapia and Microchromis

Web links

Commons : Cynotilapia  - collection of images, videos and audio files