Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 9; Vertebrae: 29 - 30. Diagnosis: Haplochromis erutus differs from all other species of Haplochromis, except H. bicolor from Lake Victoria, by a small and rectangular mouth with a short upper jaw that curves downwards halfway its length, in combination with blunt, bicuspid and recurved outer oral teeth and, in lateral part of upper jaw, more stout inner teeth, mostly more distinct in dextral side; it differs from H. bicolor by much larger eyes, 35.4-40.7% of head length vs. 21.4-32.0%, slightly more slender interorbital width, 22.5-26.1% of head length vs. 25.8-34.5%, and slightly shorter snout, 23.2-27.1% of head length vs. 26.5-34.2; it differs further by a shallower supraoccipital crest, dominant males with beige-silver vs. red flanks and piebald colouration seemingly absent in H. erutus, while frequently observed in females of H. bicolor (Ref. 126074). Within Lake Edward system, it shares with H. concilians, H. labiatus, H. eduardianus and H. planus stout jaws and large or more strongly developed lips; it differs from H. labiatus by a shorter snout, 22.4-25.4% of head length vs. 26.5-30.2%, and large vs. lobed lips; from H. eduardianus and H. planus by a shorter upper jaw, 20.9-26.% of head length vs. 27.5-33.8% and 27.6-32.1% respectively; and from H. concilians by large vs. strongly thickened lips, a longer premaxillary pedicel, 21.4-24.0% of head length vs. 16.1-21.6%, and beige-silver vs. silver-blue dominant males (Ref. 126074).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Haplochromis

Species: Haplochromis erutus Vranken, Van Steenberge & Snoeks, 2020

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Diet mainly mollucivorous (Ref. 126074).

Habitat

pelagic