Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 10; Vertebrae: 29. Diagnosis: relatively small species, moderately elongate (body depth 2.6-3.0 times in SL); dorsal head profile relatively steep, strongly convex dorsally of large eye (eye diameter about 4.0 times in HL, 1.2 times in snout length and 0.96 times in interorbital space); lips moderately but more or less equally thickened; outer teeth strong with recurved tips, procumbent, especially in lower jaw; usually anteriorly 3-6 rows of inner teeth in upper jaw, rows not very distinct; haplochromine "head mask" very weakly developed, hardly visible in not sexually active males; dominant males bluish with greenish hue; prominent dark grey longitudinal band from eye to caudal peduncle, interrupted above anterior half of anal fin; second dark grey longitudinal band along upper lateral line; 6-8 weakly expressed vertical bars about width of iris may be present in live and preserved fish (Ref. 79882).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cichliformes

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: Haplochromis

Species: Haplochromis fischeri Seegers, 2008

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Found over sandy substrate, interspersed with patches of shelter which can be rocks or vegetation; especially common over exposed sandy beaches; feeds on gastropods, insect larvae, diatoms and copepoda (Ref. 79882).

Habitat

benthopelagic