Description

Vertebrae: 28 - 30. Diagnosis: Haplochromis bwathondii is a small sized (less than 9 cm standard length), micrognathic species with a normal to relatively slender body outline, body depth 29.7-35.7% of standard length; with bicuspid and tricuspid teeth in the oral jaws and a moderately curved dorsal head profile; it has a melanin pattern of dusky, interrupted, longitudinal bands and vertical bars, producing a so-called 'chess board pattern'; this pattern also occurs in several oral shelling molluscivores, insectivores and algae scrapers, but these species generally are larger, have a strongly curved dorsal head profile and a lower jaw length/width ratio of less than 1.5, whereas in H. bwathondii it ranges from 2.0 to 2.8 (Ref. 85523). Haplochromis bwathondii differs from other small species with a 'chess board pattern' and a lower jaw length/width ratio of more than 1.5, H. sphex and H. sauvagei, in live colouration of sexually active males, by having red in the rostral part of the body; further, it differs from H. sphex by having a deeper body and a larger eye (Ref. 85523). On first impression the colours of sexually active males of H. bwathondii and H. sauvagei look alike; however males of H. bwathondii have a less distinct 'chess board pattern', are less yellow and have a silvery iridescent area on each scale, giving them a silvery appearance; furthermore H. bwathondii has a larger eye, thinner lips, a narrower lower jaw and less stout teeth with a relatively larger flange than H. sauvagei (Ref. 85523).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Haplochromis

Species: Haplochromis bwathondii Niemantsverdriet & Witte, 2010

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Found in the sub-littoral areas of the Mwanza Gulf, over mud bottoms; it is a mainly pelagic species (Ref. 85523). Before the ecological changes in Lake Victoria, this species fed mainly on Cyanophyta, both during day and night; Aulacoseira and occasionally other small diatoms such as Nitzschia were also consumed, as well as adult insects and insect pupae from the water surface (Ref. 85523). This species is a female mouth brooder that spawns the whole year (Ref. 85523).

Habitat

pelagic