Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 9; Vertebrae: 30 - 32. Diagnosis: Haplochromis pelagicus is a species with a very shallow body, body depth 25.4-30.7% of standard length; long and very shallow caudal peduncle, caudal peduncle length 17.2-20.1% of standard length, caudal peduncle depth 49.4-66.3% of caudal peduncle length; short upper jaw compared to lower jaw, upper jaw length 63.4-71.5% of lower jaw length; mostly inverted-triangular shaped head in anterior view with a very narrow lower jaw, lower jaw width 31.1-36.5% of lower jaw length; posterior 1/4-1/5 of premaxillary dentigerous arm often edentulous; many gill rakers, 14-18 (Ref. 128938). It differs from H. aureus by a shallower body, body depth 25.4-30.7% of standard length vs. 30.7-33.5%; shorter upper jaw, upper jaw length 26.5-29.0% of head length vs. 29.3-35.6%; more gill rakers, 14-18 vs. 12-14; dominant males with iridescent silver vs. yellow snout and cheeks, and hyaline vs. dusky and crimson anal fin (Ref. 128938). It is very similar to H. pappenheimi and differs from it by anal fin hyaline to rarely faint dusky vs. dark-dusky; major cusps of outer oral teeth bluntly vs. acutely pointed, and with a small to large flange vs. with no to a small flange, rarely a large flange; anterior outer oral teeth including rarely some vs. often several tricuspid teeth; dominant males differ further from those of H. pappenheimi by anal and caudal fins hyaline vs. crimson; belly and chest light-coloured vs. belly dark-coloured and chest speckled-black; cheek light-coloured with a very well-defined lacrimal stripe vs. dark-coloured with a well-defined lacrimal stripe; pelvic fin slightly shorter, pelvic fin length of males 23.3-27.0% of standard length vs. 25.2-33.5% (Ref. 128938).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Haplochromis

Species: Haplochromis pelagicus Vranken, Van Steenberge, Mbalassa & Snoeks, 2023

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Abundant in upper water layers of deepwater regions of Lake Edward, occasionally found in upper water layers of sublittoral areas of lakes Edward and George and Kazinga Channel (Ref. 128938). It feeds on copepods and chaoborid larvae, pupae and emerging adults (Ref. 128938).

Habitat

pelagic