Pseudosimochromis
| Pseudosimochromis | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pseudosimochromis | ||||||||||||
| Nelissen , 1977 |
Pseudosimochromis is a genus of cichlids that is endemic to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa.
features
Pseudosimochromis species are 8 to 14 cm long and have a slightly high-backed, laterally flattened body. They are relatively similar to the closely related genus Tropheus . Their head profile is rounded, but less steep than that of Tropheus . The mouth is subordinate due to a shorter lower jaw. In most cases, Pseudosimochromis species have only 19 spines in the dorsal fin and only three in the anal fin, while Tropheus has 20 or 22 in the dorsal fin and five or six in the anal fin. The caudal fin of the Pseudosimochromis species is light or transparent, while that of the Tropheus species is the same color as the body or is darker. Females stay a little smaller and are less brightly colored.
- Scale formula : SL 36-40 or 62-74.
Way of life
Like the species of the genus Tropheus , the Pseudosimochromis species inhabit the rocky shores of Lake Tanganyika and feed on the algae that grow on them. They avoid greater depths and are mainly observed in areas above a water depth of ten meters. In contrast to Tropheus , they can also be found on rocks that are covered by mud, sand or other sediments. Pseudosimochromis species reproduce as mouthbrooders .
species
There are four types :
- Pseudosimochromis babaulti ( Pellegrin , 1927)
- Pseudosimochromis curvifrons (Poll, 1942)
- Pseudosimochromis margaretae ( Axelrod & Harrison , 1978)
- Pseudosimochromis marginatus (Poll, 1956)
Systematics
The genus Pseudosimochromis was introduced in 1977 by the Belgian biologist Mark HJ Nelissen. The main reason was the shape of the head, which differed from that of Simochromis .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pierre Brichard: The Great Book of Tanganyika Cichlids. With all the other fish on Lake Tanganyika. Bede Verlag, 1995, ISBN 978-3927997943 , pp. 272-273, 403-409.
- ↑ Pseudosimochromis on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ MHJ Nelissen (1977): Pseudosimochromis , a new genus of the family Cichlidae (Pisces) from Lake Tanganyika. Revue de Zoologie Africaine v. 91 (no. 3): 730-731.