Species Kingdom

Animalia

Species Class

Species Order

Astatoreochromis alluaudi Pellegrin, 1904

Description

Dorsal spines (total): 16 - 20; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6 - 9; Anal spines: 4 - 7; Anal soft rays: 6 - 9. Diagnosis: Astatoreochromis alluaudi can be distinguished from A. straeleni by the possession of 4-7 anal spines vs. 3-4, and 17-19 dorsal spines, rarely 16 or 20, vs. 16-18, exceptionally 19 (Ref. 126033).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Astatoreochromis

Species: Astatoreochromis alluaudi Pellegrin, 1904

Climate Zone

Tropical

Location

Africa: lakes Edward, George, Kyoga, Victoria, Nakavali and Kachira, and the rivers and streams associated with these lakes, including the Semliki (Ref. 5602, 126033, 126038). It has been introduced into many areas of East Africa for biological mollusc control and now has a widespread distribution within the Victoria basin in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, including the upper Akagera basin in the Bugesera Depression in Burundi and Rwanda (Ref. 126033). Also introduced in Benue River basin in northern Cameroon (Ref. 126033). However, there are no reports that its introduction in Congo Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Central Africa and Zambia has succeeded (Ref. 126033).

Biology

Astatoreochromis alluaudi is not confined to a particular type of substrate and is ubiquitous in all areas where the water is less than 20 m deep; it also occurs in papyrus swamps (Ref. 5602, 126033). It feeds mainly on molluscs (Ref. 126033), but it might be an omnivorous species that switches to the most abundant food source in its environment (Ref. 6770, 126033). Used for snail control (Ref.4967).

Habitat

benthopelagic