Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 6 - 10; Vertebrae: 29 - 30. Diagnosis: Haplochromis lobatus differs from all species of Haplochromis from the Lake Edward system by a combination of an elongated and slender snout, strongly pro- to isognathous jaws, deep lower jaw with blunt teeth, and lobed lips that are mostly enlarged medially (Ref. 126507). It can be confused with H. labiatus as both have lobed lips, a small gape, a curved upper jaw with a relatively long premaxillary pedicel, 82.4-116.3% of upper jaw length, stout and unicuspid outer teeth that strongly decrease in size laterad, and a lower jaw set anteriorly with procumbently implanted outer teeth, 40-70° to vertical; it differs from this species by a straight to concave vs. straight to convex head, and an elongated and slender vs. blunt and more broad snout; differs further in its trophic morphology: lower jaw slightly longer, 31.2-40.7% of head length vs. 27.7-34.3%, and more slender, 48.5-70.5% of lower jaw length vs. 71.4-92.4%, jaws iso- to strongly prognathous vs. iso- to retrognathous, and anteriormost outer teeth in lower jaw more widely set, 1-2 vs. 0-1 outer tooth widths between adjacent teeth, and with longer major cusps (Ref. 126507). Haplochromis lobatus resembles H. chilotes from Lake Victoria by its very slender and acute snout, lobed lips, and insectivorous diet; it differs by having larger eyes, eye diameter 28.5-34.2% of head length vs. 21.8-28.6%, a correlated shorter snout, 26.9-32.9% of head length vs. 30.8-38.4%, and iso- to strongly prognathous vs. isognathous jaws; it further differs in live colouration; flanks with faint vertical stripes vs. vertical and longitudinal stripes, flanks of dominant males uniformly beige to yellow vs. blueish with orange chest and greenish caudal peduncle, and anal fin of dominant males dusky to black with yellow to orange extensions vs. pale red in H. chilotes (Ref. 126507). Haplochromis lobatus resembles superficially H. paucidens from Lake Kivu by its lobed lips, but clearly differs by its acute vs. blunt snout and more slender lower jaw, 48.5-70.5% of lower jaw length vs; 76.0-90.7% (Ref. 126507).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Haplochromis

Species: Haplochromis lobatus Vranken, Van Steenberge, Kayenbergh & Snoeks, 2020

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Diet insectivorous (Ref. 126507).

Habitat

benthopelagic