Serranochromis

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Serranochromis
Serranochromis robustus.jpg
Serranochromis macrocephalus.jpg
S. jallae (above)
S. macrocephalus (below)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Tribe: Haplochromini
Genus: Serranochromis
Regan, 1920
Type species
Chromys thumbergi
Castelnau, 1861

Serranochromis is a genus of relatively large, robust cichlids from freshwater habitats in mainland Southern Africa, ranging as far north as DR Congo and Tanzania, with the highest species richness in the upper Zambezi, Okavango and Congo basins. [1] [2] They are typically known as largemouths or, especially among fishers, breams (although unrelated to other fish known as "bream"). [1] [3] Serranochromis are mostly piscivores and they are important in local fisheries. [2]

Contents

Habitat

Serranochromis live in a wide variety of freshwater habitats, ranging from shallow, heavily vegetated waters to deep, open waters. This includes main river channels, backwaters, floodplains, lakes and lagoons, but only a few of the species have been recorded in fast-flowing waters. [2] [4] [5] Smaller Serranochromis tend to avoid open waters if common tigerfish are present, [6] but the largest Serranochromis are generally too large to be considered typical prey to common tigerfish and they co-exist in the same habitat. [2]

Appearance and behavior

Depending on the exact species of Serranochromis, the maximum length is between 25 and 56 cm (10–22 in), [1] and the largest species can reach up to 7 kg (15 lb) in weight. [3]

They feed almost entirely on small fish, especially other cichlids, cyprinids, elephantfish and squeaker catfish, but some will also take invertebrates. [2] [3] Although all will take most types of small fish, there is a level of specialisation: S. altus is nocturnal or crepuscular, similar to its main prey, the elephantfish. S. angusticeps is well-camouflaged among dense aquatic vegetation, which allows it to slowly approach its main prey, small cyprinids. S. jallae has a particularly robust mouth and teeth suitable for dealing with its main prey, the spiny and heavily armored squeaker catfish (however, young S. jallae mostly feed on small cyprinids and aquatic insects). [2]

Serranochromis are mouthbrooders and most—if not all—species are seasonal breeders that begin spawning around the end of the low water period. They generally reach maturity when two or three years old. [2]

Fishing and conservation status

Serranochromis support important commercial and subsistence fisheries, [2] and are also valued as game fish. [3] S. jallae has been introduced for fishing to some places in Southern Africa outside its original range and in these places it can have an adverse effect on small native fish, especially cyprinids. [7] Conversely, S. robustus has declined drastically in its native range due to overfishing, leading the IUCN to rate it as critically endangered. S. meridianus is considered endangered due to habitat degradation and the poorly known S. janus is considered data deficient (available information is insufficient for determining its conservation status), while the remaining species in the genus are least concern (not threatened). [8]

Species and taxonomy

Serranochromis altus.jpg
Serranochromis angusticeps.jpg
S. altus (right) and S. angusticeps (left) were confused until 1991 and their morphology is quite similar, but they do differ in certain morphometrics, color, habitat preference and feeding behavior [4]

According to FishBase, there are currently 11 recognized species in this genus: [1]

Serranochromis thumbergi collected in Lavushi Manda National Park, Zambia, by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity Serranochromis thumbergi (Castelnau, 1861) collected in Zambia by South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity3.jpg
Serranochromis thumbergi collected in Lavushi Manda National Park, Zambia, by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity

A few other, possibly undescribed species are known from the genus. [10] [11] Furthermore, the taxonomy of the S. macrocephalus and S. robustus complexes is not fully resolved. Based on mtDNA, both are polyphyletic. [10] [11] A partial solution to the S. robustus complex has been to recognize jallae as its own species, [1] [8] instead of the traditional treatment where it was considered a subspecies of S. robustus. [12]

Additionally, Sargochromis (the "smallmouths"; found in the same overall region and mostly feed on invertebrates) has been considered a subgenus of Serranochromis, [2] but today it is generally recognized as a separate genus. [13] These genera, along with Chetia , Pharyngochromis and others, form a group sometimes known as the serranochromines or Serranochromini. [10] [14] [15] How many other genera that are included varies, with some defining the group relatively narrowly and others broadly. [11] Genetic evidence indicates that several genera in this group, including Serranochromis, are not monophyletic. [10] [11]

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<i>Hydrocynus</i> Genus of fishes

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<i>Pharyngochromis</i> Genus of fishes

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<i>Sargochromis</i> Genus of fishes

Sargochromis is a genus of haplochromine cichlids native to freshwater habitats in Southern Africa, where found in the upper and middle Zambezi basin, Okavango delta, Cunene basin, Cuvelai basin and southeastern Congo Basin. They are typically known as happies or smallmouths. The latter name refers to their small mouth compared to their close relatives, the largemouths of the genus Serranochromis. Unlike the species in that genus which mostly feed on other fish, Sargochromis mostly feed on invertebrates, but in some species plant material is important. On occasion they will also eat small fish, and the stomachs of S. carlottae and S. codringtonii commonly contain fish scales, but whether these are already-lost scales that are picked off the bottom or they are actively bumped off large fish is unknown. Some of the species that feed heavily on aquatic snails have been used for biological pest control. Sargochromis are mouthbrooders. Depending on the exact species, they reach a maximum total length of 20 to 48 cm (8–19 in).

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<i>Serranochromis altus</i> Species of fish

Serranochromis altus, commonly known as the humpback largemouth, is an African species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is found in the Okavango basin and the upper Zambezi basin, including the Kafue system. It can reach a length of 56 cm (22 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambezi bream</span> Species of fish

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). Species of Serranochromis in FishBase . October 2019 version.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Winemiller, K.O. (1991). "Comparative ecology of Serranochromis species (Teleostei: Cichlidae) in the Upper Zambezi River floodplain". Journal of Fish Biology. 39 (5): 617–639. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1991.tb04393.x.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hansford-Steele, B. (2013). African fly-fishing handbook: A guide to freshwater and saltwater fly-fishing in Africa. Struik Publishers. ISBN   9781432302290.
  4. 1 2 Winemiller, I.K.O.; L.C. Kelso-Winemiller (1991). "Serranochromis altus, a New Species of Piscivorous Cichlid (Teleostei: Perciformes) from the Upper Zambezi River". Copeia. 1991 (3): 675–686. doi:10.2307/1446393. JSTOR   1446393.
  5. ↑ Thorstad, E.B.; C.J. Hay; T.F. Næsje; B. Chanda; F. Økland (2005). "Movement and habitat utilization of nembwe, Serranochromis robustus (Gunther 1864), in the Upper Zambezi River". African Zoology. 40 (2): 253–259. doi:10.1080/15627020.2005.11407324. S2CID   84080641.
  6. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Serranochromis thumbergi" in FishBase . October 2019 version.
  7. ↑ Gratwicke, B.; B.E. Marshall (2005). "The relationship between the exotic predators Micropterus salmoides and Serranochromis robustus and native stream fishes in Zimbabwe". Journal of Fish Biology. 58 (1): 68–75. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2001.tb00499.x.
  8. 1 2 IUCN (2019). "Serranochromis". 2019-2. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  9. ↑ Serranochromis angusticeps (Boulenger, 1907) in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2021-04-10
  10. 1 2 3 4 Joyce, D.A.; D.H. Lunt; R. Bills; G.F. Turner; C. Katongo; N. Duftner; C. Sturmbauer; O. Seehause (2005). "An extant cichlid fish radiation emerged in an extinct Pleistocene lake". Nature. 435 (7038): 90–95. Bibcode:2005Natur.435...90J. doi:10.1038/nature03489. PMID   15875022. S2CID   4313746.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Musilová, Z.; L. Kalous; M. Petrtýl; P. Chaloupková (2013). "Cichlid Fishes in the Angolan Headwaters Region: Molecular Evidence of the Ichthyofaunal Contact between the Cuanza and Okavango-Zambezi Systems". PLOS ONE. 8 (5): e65047. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...865047M. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065047 . PMC   3664563 . PMID   23724120.
  12. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Serranochromis". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  13. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Sargochromis". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  14. ↑ Greenwood, P.H. (1993). "A review of the serranochromine cichlid fish genera Pharyngochromis, Sargochromis, Serranochromis and Chetia (Teleostei: Labroidei)". Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Zool. 59 (1): 33–44.
  15. ↑ Bouckaert, R.; M. Steel; W. Salzburger; Z. Starostová; J.M.I. Barth; Z. Musilová; M. Matschiner (2017). "Bayesian Phylogenetic Estimation of Clade Ages Supports Trans-Atlantic Dispersal of Cichlid Fishes". Systematic Biology. 66 (1): 3–22. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syw076 . PMID   28173588.
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