Giant cichlid

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Giant cichlid
DKoehl Boulengerochromis microlepis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe: Boulengerochromini
Takahashi, 2003
Genus: Boulengerochromis
Pellegrin, 1904
Species:
B. microlepis
Binomial name
Boulengerochromis microlepis
(Boulenger, 1899)

The giant cichlid (Boulengerochromis microlepis), also known as the emperor cichlid, is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae, endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. [2] [3] It is the only member of its genus Boulengerochromis and tribe Boulengerochromini. [4]

Contents

Appearance, habitat and behavior

Males reach a length up to 90 cm (3.0 ft) and females up to 75 cm (2.5 ft), possibly making it the largest extant species of cichlid; [5] only the speckled peacock bass (Cichla temensis) of South America attains similar sizes as an adult. [6]

The giant cichlid is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it occurs in portions of the lake controlled by Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. [1] Within this range it is a relatively common species found in coastal areas to depths of 100 m (330 ft). [1] Adults are chiefly piscivorous while juveniles are omnivores; they also display habitat differences related to age, with adults living in small pelagic foraging groups when not spawning while juveniles use shallower, rock-strewn waters for the protective cover they provide. [3] They are occasionally offered for sale as aquarium fish, but their enormous adult size makes them ill-suited for all but the largest private and public aquariums. [7]

Taxonomy and etymology

The species was originally described as Tilapia microlepis by George Albert Boulenger in 1899. Realizing that it was not a tilapia, the genus Boulengerochromis was coined in 1904 by Jacques Pellegrin.

The generic name of this species is a compound noun, made up of the surname Boulenger, in honour of the Belgian born herpetologist and ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger (1858-1937), and the Greek word chromis which was used by Aristotle for a type of fish. This was probably the drum Sciaenidae and may be derived from the word chroemo which means "to neigh" in reference to the noise made by drums. This word was applied to a number of percomorph fishes, such as damselfish, cardinalfish, dottybacks, wrasses and cichilds, by ichthyologists as these were thought to be closely related. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Albert Boulenger</span> Belgian-British zoologist

George Albert Boulenger was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botanist during the last 30 years of his life, especially in the study of roses.

<i>Neolamprologus brichardi</i> Species of fish

Neolamprologus brichardi is a species of cichlid endemic to the alkaline waters of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. It is a popular aquarium fish kept in the fishkeeping hobby, where it is known under a variety of common names including Princess cichlid, Princess of Burundi, Lyretail cichlid, Fairy cichlid and Brichard's lamprologus. In addition, the species is also the subject of numerous studies on fish behaviour. It is closely related to N. pulcher from the southern half of Lake Tanganyika and some have recommended merging the two into a single species.

<i>Maylandia lombardoi</i> Species of fish

Maylandia lombardoi, is a 13 centimetres (5.1 in) long freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae. This species is popular in the aquarium hobby where it is sold under a variety of common names including: lombardoi mbuna, kenyi mbuna or kennyi mbuna or kenyi cichlid. This species is sometimes seen in the genus Metriaclima owing to a dispute in which a minority of cichlid researchers do not consider Maylandia valid (see Maylandia for discussion. The specific name honours the exotic fish dealer John Lombardo.

<i>Neolamprologus leleupi</i> Species of fish

Neolamprologus leleupi is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it occurs throughout the lake. It is a recess-dweller, inhabiting cracks and crevices. It feeds on invertebrates living in the rich biocover of the substrate. This species reaches a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. The color of this fish ranges from bright yellow to deep brown. Both color variations exist at each location where this species is found. This relatively small cichlid is a substrate spawner. It is easily confused with the very similar N. longior a fish also endemic to Lake Tanganyika. The specific name honours the Belgian entomologist Narcisse Leleup (1912-2001), who collected the type.

<i>Grammatotria</i> Genus of fishes

Grammatotria lemairii is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa where it prefers areas with sandy substrates. This species can reach a length of 26 centimetres (10 in) TL. It is currently the only known member of its genus. The species is occasionally kept as an aquarium fish. The specific name honours Lieutenant Charles Lemaire (1863-1925) who was the leader of the Congo Free State Expedition, which collected specimens of fishes at Lake Tanganyika, including the type of G. lemairii.

<i>Reganochromis calliurus</i> Species of fish

Reganochromis calliurus is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. It lives over a sandy substrate in deeper coastal waters, to depths of at least 60 m (200 ft). Its preferred diet consists mostly of shrimp. It can reach a total length of 15 cm (5.9 in). This fish can also be found in the aquarium trade. It is currently the only known member of its genus.

<i>Benthochromis tricoti</i> Species of fish

Benthochromis tricoti is a species of fish in the cichlid family. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa and lives at depths of up to 100 m (330 ft). It feeds on small crustaceans and plankton. It reaches a maximum length of 16.5 cm (6.5 in). Like many other cichlids, it is a mouthbrooder.

Copadichromis geertsi is a species of haplochromine cichlid which is endemic to Lake Malawi.

<i>Gnathochromis pfefferi</i> Species of fish

Gnathochromis pfefferi is an African species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika and its slow-flowing tributaries in the countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. It is common and widespread. This cichlid is found in relatively shallow waters, typically over soft bottoms in places with aquatic grasses.

<i>Julidochromis marlieri</i> Species of fish

Julidochromis marlieri is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it is only known from the northwestern portion preferring rocky shorelines in deep waters. In the aquarium trade, it is commonly known as Marlier's Julie, Spotted Julie or Chequered Julie. This species reaches a length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) TL. Adult females are larger than adult males.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convict julie</span> Species of fish

The convict julie is a cichlid species in the subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae family endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Hence it is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. The fish is named after Charles Tate Regan.

<i>Limnotilapia dardennii</i> Species of fish

Limnotilapia dardennii, the latticed cichlid, is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it prefers rocky areas near the coast. It may also be found in the aquarium trade. This species is currently the only known member of its genus.

<i>Lepidiolamprologus boulengeri</i> Species of fish

Lepidiolamprologus boulengeri is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it is known from the Tanzanian coast in the northern part of the lake. Pairs of this species live together in their territory and the female lives in snail shells in a pit that they have dug in the sand. This species can reach a length of 6.2 centimetres (2.4 in) TL. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.

Neolamprologus buescheri is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika. This species can reach a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. The specific name of this cichlid honours the collector of its type, the German ichthyologist Heinz H. Büscher.

Neolamprologus savoryi is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika. This species reaches a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. The specific name of this cichlid honours Bryan Wyman Savory (1904-1988) who was the District Commissioner of Kigoma in the Tanganyika Territory during the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika of 1946–1947, this expedition collected the type.

The threadfin cichlid is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika found in areas with rocky substrates on which it can graze on algae. This species can reach a length of 18 cm (7.1 in). It can be found in the aquarium trade. The specific name of this cichlid honours the British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993).

Spathodus marlieri is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it is only known from the northern portion of the lake. This species prefers areas with rocky substrates in very shallow waters to a depth of about 2 metres (6.6 ft). This species can reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. The specific name honours the Belgian zoologist Georges Marlier.

Tropheus brichardi is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it is found in areas with substrates of solid rock in the central portion of the lake. This species can reach a length of 10 cm (3.9 in). It can be found in the aquarium trade. The specific name honours Pierre Brichard (1921–1990) the aquarium fish exporter who provided the authors with the type.

<i>Tropheus duboisi</i> Species of fish

Tropheus duboisi, the white spotted cichlid, is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It can reach a length of 12 cm (4.7 in).

Xenotilapia boulengeri is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it occurs in schools in areas with sandy substrates. Its diet consists of small shrimps and copepods. This species can reach a length of 15.3 centimetres (6.0 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. The specific name honours the Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger (1858-1937), in recognition of his world on the fishes of Lake Tanganyika.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bigirimana, C. (2006). "Boulengerochromis microlepis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2006: e.T60475A12359898. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T60475A12359898.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Boulengerochromis microlepis FishBase (2006) Eds. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. fishbase.org version (07/2014).
  3. 1 2 SeriouslyFish: Boulengerochromis microlepis. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  4. ↑ Meyer, Matchiner, Salburger, Britta, Michael, Walter (2015). "A tribal level phylogeny of Lake Tanganyika cichlid fishes based on a genomic multi-marker approach". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 83: 56–71. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.10.009. PMC   4334724 . PMID   25433288.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Bailey, M. (13 June 2016). The 10 biggest cichlids. Practical Fishkeeping. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  6. ↑ Reis, P. (2015), Aspects of life history of Cichla temensis (Perciformes: Cichlidae) and its relationship to the Amazon basin's flood pulse, Rutgers University
  7. ↑ "Boulengerochromis microlepis (Emperor Cichlid) — Seriously Fish".
  8. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 July 2018). "Order CICHLIFORMES: Family CICHLIDAE: Subfamily PSEUDOCRENILABRINAE (a-g)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
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