Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 10. Diagnosis: A relatively small species with a moderate body depth, laterally compressed, with generalised body shape, a terminal, slightly acute, symmetric mouth, lower jaw protruding, and relatively large eyes, 33.8% of head length vs. 23.7% in Haplochromis nubilus, 29.4% in H. akika, 30.5% in H. commutabilis (Ref. 85068). It shares with other East African fluviatile species, especially the so-called Astatotilapia, the smaller longitudinal scale count, less than 31, compared to lacustrine species, more than 30, with exceptions H. akika, H. ampullarostratus, H. nubilus, from which, except for H. ampullarostratus, it is distinguished by its lesser body depth, less yhan 35% of standard length vs. more than 35% (Ref. 85068). From H. ampullarostratus it differs in, for instance, greater head length, 34.7-37.5% of standard length vs. 32.5-33.5%, and shorter snout length, 21.5-28.7% of head length vs. 29.1-31.4% (Ref. 85068). Additionally it differs from H. nubilus in head shape, dorsal head profile straight vs. concave, and nuptial colouration, solid black in H. nubilus vs. colourful, and colour of anal fin which is plain red in nuptial-coloured males of H. katonga vs. only marginally reddish or different-coloured in all other fluviatile species (Ref. 85068). The overall nuptial colouration of males is also a diagnostic feature: live colouration of males bluish to dark grey-brown on dorsum, flanks greenish, ventral parts yellowish, with reddish areas in unpaired fins; of females greyish blue to greyish yellow with a faint metallic blue hue dorsally (Ref. 85068).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Haplochromis

Species: Haplochromis katonga Schraml & Tichy, 2010

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Found in Katonga River, which is choked with vegetation and hardly recognizable as a river, with no directly visible current (Ref. 85068).

Habitat

benthopelagic