Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Haplochromis: Greek, Haploos = single + Greek, chromis = a fish, perhaps a perch (Ref. 45335); fischeri: Named for G.A. Fischer, one the first Europeans with a deep interest in natural sciences to visit the area, assembling vast collections of plants, animals and other natural objects and undertaking fundamental studies to produce accurate maps (Ref. 79882).
Eponymy: Dr Gustav Adolf Fischer (1848–1886) was a German physician, naturalist and explorer of East and Central Africa. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: Lake Victoria, Tanzania. Identification of Kenyan and Ugandan populations to be verified.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 79882)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
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).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal.
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).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Seegers, L., 2008. The fishes collected by G.A. Fischer in East Africa in 1883 and 1885-86. Zoosyst. Evol. 84(2):149-195. (Ref. 79882)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01445 (0.00674 - 0.03099), b=2.99 (2.82 - 3.16), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
🛈
