Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 9; Vertebrae: 28 - 31. Diagnosis: Haplochromis pharyngalis differs from all species from the Lake Edward system, except Haplochromis fuscus, by a rounded caudal fin; very small, round and depply embedded chest scales, 7-11 pectoral-pelvic scales; small nape scales, and dominant males with white-blue first ray of pelvic fins (Ref. 128436). It differs from H. fuscus by an acute vs. blunt snout with a more shallow inclination, 40°-45° vs. 45°-60°; rounded vs. nearly squared dental arcades; and fewer rowsof inner oral teeth, 2-3, rarely 4, vs. 4-5 (Ref. 128436). It shares with H. elegans and H. aeneocolor a generalised Haplochromis morphology; it differs from both by 3-5 vs. 2-3 infraorbital chekk scales, deeper cheeks, 24.0-31.2% of head length vs. 19.2-23.8% and 20.1-24.4%, slightly smaller eyes, 26.9-33.1% of head length vs. 29.9-36.2% and 29.7-35.0%, and dominant males with green-yellow vs. blue and yellow flanks, respectively (Ref. 128436). Some specimens from Lake Edward share with Haplochromis mylodon, Haplochromis concilians, Haplochromis placodus and Haplochromis malacophagus an enlarged pharyngeal apparatus set with molariform teeth; it differs from all by recurved vs. straight outer oral teeth and from H. mylodon and H. concilians by the colour pattern of dominant males with green-yellow vs. blue flanks and faint vs. well-defined nostril and interorbital stripes; the latter is also diagnostic in preserved specimens (Ref. 128436).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Haplochromis

Species: Haplochromis pharyngalis Poll & Damas, 1939

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

The stomachs of a small number of specimens which were examined contained both larval and emergent insects (Ref. 558). Specimens from Lake George insectivorous, those from Lake Edward both insectivorous and molluscivorous (Ref. 128436).

Habitat

benthopelagic