Description

Vertebrae: 28 - 30. Diagnosis: Haplochromis coprologus is a small sized (less than 8 cm standard length), micrognathic species with a diamond-shaped body outline, dorsal head profile straight to incurved above the eye; mouth oblique with relatively small, mainly bicuspid teeth (Ref. 85523). It differs from Haplochromis erythrocephalus, the only other described small species with similar body outline, in live colouration of sexually active males: H. coprologus is almost completely black, whereas H. erythrocephalus has a bright red head and the remainder of the body colouration is yellowish; further, differences are present in interorbital width, snout length, eye length, lower jaw length and the lower jaw length/width ratio (Ref. 85523). Haplochromis coprologus differs from the similarly coloured H. piceatus mainly in body depth, which is higher in H. coprologus than in the sympatric population of H. piceatus from the Mwanza Gulf, and a larger eye length (Ref. 85523). The reddish parts in the caudal and anal fin of H. coprologus are generally smaller than in H. piceatus; moreover, in H. coprologus these parts are generally dark red and in H. piceatus orange to orange-red (Ref. 85523). Haplochromis coprologus differs from H. antleter, which has a similar male colouration, in its dorsal head profile which is straight to incurved above the eye in H. coprologus and moderately curved in H. antleter; the lower jaw in H. coprologus is longer, narrower and more oblique than in H. antleter; the number of gill rakers on the lower part of the first gill arch is higher in H. coprologus, 11-12, than in H. antleter, 10 (Ref. 85523).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Haplochromis

Species: Haplochromis coprologus Niemantsverdriet & Witte, 2010

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Before the ecological changes, this species occurred in the sub-littoral areas of the Mwanza Gulf, mainly over mud bottoms; juveniles occured in sheltered bays (Ref. 85523). It fed mainly on detritus during daytime; other important food items comprised the diatom Aulacoseira and copepods (Ref. 85523). This species is a female mouth brooder; like most other detritivorous species, it is a seasonal spawner; sexually active males were abundant from March till October, brooding females were abundant from March till September (Ref. 85523).

Habitat

benthopelagic