''Astatotilapia'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of small
freshwater fish
Freshwater fish are fish species that spend some or all of their lives in bodies of fresh water such as rivers, lakes, ponds and inland wetlands, where the salinity is less than 1.05%. These environments differ from marine habitats in many wa ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Cichlidae
Cichlids ()
are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...
found in
Eastern
Eastern or Easterns may refer to:
Transportation
Airlines
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
* Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...
and
Northern Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
, with a single species, ''A. flaviijosephi'', in
Western Asia
West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...
(the only non-African
haplochromine
__NOTOC__
The haplochromine cichlids are a tribe of cichlids in subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae called Haplochromini. This group includes the type genus ''Haplochromis'' plus a number of closely related genera such as '' Aulonocara'', '' Astatotila ...
).
Many species have been moved between this genus and ''
Haplochromis
''Haplochromis'' is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cichlidae. It has been used as the default " wastebin taxon" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids of the East African Rift, and as such became the "largest" fish "genus". Many of these cichl ...
'', and while some consensus has been reached in recent years, their mutual delimitation is still far from settled.
Based on
mtDNA
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in ...
, ''Astatotilapia'' as currently defined is
polyphyletic
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...
.
[Genner; Ngatunga; Mzighani; Smith; and Turner (2015). Geographical ancestry of Lake Malawi’s cichlid fish diversity. Biol. Lett. 11: 2015023. ]
Species
There are currently 9 recognized species in this genus:
[
* '']Astatotilapia bloyeti
''Astatotilapia bloyeti'' is a species of haplochromine cichlid from the coastal river systems of Tanzania. Reports from other areas of Africa are considered to refer to related species. The IUCN considers it to be endemic to the Pangani River an ...
'' ( Sauvage, 1883) (Bloyet's haplo)
* ''Astatotilapia burtoni
''Astatotilapia burtoni'' is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae.
It is found in Lake Tanganyika and its surrounding waterways, including parts of Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent river ...
'' ( Günther, 1894)
* ''Astatotilapia calliptera
''Astatotilapia calliptera'', the eastern happy or eastern river bream, is a species of haplochromine cichlid from southeastern Africa.
Description
The male ''Astatotilapia calliptera'' has blue lips and a dark line through its eye. It can show ...
'' ( Günther, 1894) (Eastern happy)
* ''Astatotilapia desfontainii
''Astatotilapia desfontainii'' is a species of cichlid found in Algeria and Tunisia. It is found in freshwater spring, irrigated land, and canals and ditches. It is threatened by habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss o ...
'' ( Lacépède, 1802)[
* '']Astatotilapia flaviijosephi
''Astatotilapia flaviijosephi'', the Jordan mouthbrooder, is a vulnerable species of freshwater fish in the family Cichlidae (cichlids). It is found in the central Jordan River system, including Lake Tiberias (Kinneret), in Israel, Jordan and S ...
'' ( Lortet, 1883) (Jordan mouthbrooder)
* ''Astatotilapia stappersii
''Astatotilapia stappersii'' is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cichlidae. Adults measure about 15 cm (6 inches) in total length.
It is erroneously listed twice in the IUCN Red List, once with a proper entry under its original ...
'' (Poll
Poll, polled, or polling may refer to:
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* Poll, a formal election
** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts
** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions
** Polling pla ...
, 1943)
* ''Astatotilapia swynnertoni
''Astatotilapia swynnertoni'' is a species of haplochromine cichlid which is found in the rivers of Mozambique from the Buzi and lower Pungwe rivers south to the Save River. The specific name honours the English naturalist Charles Francis M ...
'' (Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer
* Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo
* George Albert Boulenger (1858– ...
, 1907)
* ''Astatotilapia tchadensis
''Astatotilapia tchadensis'' is a species of haplochromine cichlid which is found in Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Central African Republic, in Lake Chad and its basin and in Lake Boukou, one of the Lakes of Ounianga
The Lakes of Ounianga ...
'' Trape, 2016[Trape, S. (2016): A new cichlid fish in the Sahara: The Ounianga Serir lakes (Chad), a biodiversity hotspot in the desert. ''Comptes Rendus Biologies, 339 (11–12): 529–536.'']
* ''Astatotilapia tweddlei
''Astatotilapia tweddlei'' is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is found in Malawi and Mozambique. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes.
This species was placed in the genus ''Astatotilapia'' by FishBase which while s ...
'' P. B. N. Jackson, 1985
There are a few possibly undescribed species
In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...
in the genus,[ such as:
* ''Astatotilapia'' sp. 'dwarf bigeye scraper'
* ''Astatotilapia'' sp. 'shovelmouth'
; Names brought to synonymy:
* ''Astatotilapia elegans'' (Trewavas, 1933), a synonym for '' Haplochromis elegans''
]
References
Cichlidae
Freshwater fish genera
Taxa named by Jacques Pellegrin
{{Pseudocrenilabrinae-stub