Description

Dorsal spines (total): 14 - 15; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 12; Anal soft rays: 8 - 11. Diagnosis: Live or freshly caught specimens of Hemichromis camerounensis can be distinguished from H. fasciatus by the two distinct red opercular spots on either side of the single large black opercular spot while there is no or just one red spot present in the latter species; it can be further distinguished from H. fasciatus by a combination of overlapping morphometrics: a low number of dorsal fin soft rays, 10-12 vs. 11-14; few cheek row scales, 3-5 vs. 5-7; low number of longitudinal line scales, 28-30 vs. 29-32; a shallow cheek, 20.0-31.4% of head length vs. 21.6-34.0%; short snout, 27.2-35.2% of head length vs. 27.4-36.4%; large eyes, 22.4-32.5% of head length vs. 19.7-27.2%; broad interorbital region and head, respectively 24.3-31.1% and 40.8-48.3% of head length vs. 23.0-30.1% and 39.0-46.6%; in addition, the lower pharyngeal jaw in H. camerounensis is more V-shaped with a dentigerous area more long than that of H. fasciatus which is more Y-shaped with a dentigerous area less long (Ref. 123791). Hemichromis camerounensis can be distinguished from H. elongatus by the two distinct red opercular spots on either side of the single large black opercular spot in live or freshly-caught specimens while in H. elongatus there is one red spot or a mixture of reddish and yellowish spots above the large black opercular spot; the ventral parts of the body and head of H. camerounensis are variable in colour and vary from dark to white sometimes reddish, while a homogeneous red colour is present on the ventral parts of the body and head in adults of H. elongatus; it can further be distinguished from H. elongatus by a combination of overlapping morphometrics, mainly by a low number of dorsal fin soft rays, 10-12 vs. 11-13; high number of upper transverse line scales, 3-5 vs. 3-4.5; low number of pectoral to pelvic fins row scales, 4-6 vs. 4-7; a short premaxillary pedicel, 39.1-48.8% of head length vs. 38.0-51.2%; broad interorbital region, 24.3-31.1% of head length vs. 21.8-30.4%; short head, 33.1-38.7% of standard length vs. 34.2-40.3%; short predorsal, prepectoral and prepelvic distances, respectively 33.8-39.0%, 34.3-42.7% and 37.6-43.7% of standard length vs. 34.3-41.3%, 35.1-42.3% and 38.2-48.1%; long dorsal and anal fin bases, respectively 50.8-57.3% and 13.7-18.4% of standard length vs. 48.1-56.8% and 12.8-18.2%; the posterior margin of this pharyngeal bone in H. camerounensis is noticeably less concave and wider than that of H. elongatus and it comprises on average fewer teeth, 16-24 vs. 19-26 (Ref. 123791).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Hemichromis

Species: Hemichromis camerounensis Bitja-Nyom, Agnèse, Pariselle, Bilong-Bilong, Gilles & Snoeks, 2021

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Life cycle and mating behavior

Habitat

pelagic