Corematodus shiranus

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Corematodus shiranus
Corematodus shiranus.jpg
Status iucn3.1 CR.svg
Critically endangered, possibly extinct  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Corematodus
Species:
C. shiranus
Binomial name
Corematodus shiranus
Boulenger, 1897 [2]

Corematodus shiranus is a species of haplochromine cichlid fish native to Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe and the upper reaches of the Shire River in East Africa. [1] It is an aggressive mimic of the chambo cichlids (Nyasalapia, a subgenus of Oreochromis ) in both color pattern and swimming mode. It is therefore able to approach unsuspecting schools of these species and rapidly take a mouthful of scales or fin. [3] [4] Due to overfishing, the chambo cichlid populations have drastically declined, adversely affecting C. shiranus, which was last reported in 1997 and might now be extinct. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Konings, A. (2018). "Corematodus shiranus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T60887A148657335. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T60887A148657335.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Corematodus shiranus" in FishBase. June 2018 version.
  3. Konings, Ad (1990). Ad Konings' Book of Cichlids and all the other Fishes of Lake Malawi, pp. 90. ISBN   978-0866225274.
  4. Oliver, M.K. (16 November 2000). Corematodus shiranus. MalawiCichlids. Retrieved 13 April 2017.