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''Anomalochromis'' is a genus of fish in the family
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 ...
, containing the single species ''Anomalochromis thomasi'', the African butterfly cichlid. It is a small cichlid growing to a length of . The natural habitat of ''A. thomasi'' is
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
,
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
, and
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
, mainly in smaller streams. The fish are typically found in slightly acidic, oxygen-rich water with other West African cichlid genera such as '' Hemichromis'' and ''
Pelvicachromis ''Pelvicachromis'' is a genus of small (), brightly coloured cichlids from tropical West Africa and Central Africa. They typically inhabit soft, acidic water ( pH 5.6 – 6.9). All species form monogamous pairs and use caves as spawning sites. M ...
''. This species is found in forest streams, shaded by dense overhanging vegetation where the water is heavily stained with
tannins Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widely applied to any large po ...
from decaying organic matter. In these streams, the temperature of the water can approach in the dry season. It can also occur in streams in forest edge habitats. Under stress or when disturbed, ''A. thomasi'' can bury itself in the mud, occasionally down to . They form pairs which spawn into the
substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...
. These pairs are
territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...
; the female selects a laying site on a leaf or flat rock that the male and she clean. After laying, the brood is mainly cared for by the female, although the male sometimes relieves her. Within 72 hours of hatching, the young are moved to one of a number of depressions in the substrate created by their parents. They remain there until they become free swimming. The
specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
of this species honours
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
aquatic technician W. Thomas (born 1965, the collector of the
type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...
).


See also

*
List of freshwater aquarium fish species A vast number of freshwater species have successfully adapted to live in aquariums. This list gives some examples of the most common species found in home aquariums. Siluriformes, Catfish Characiformes, Characoids Cichl ...


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q387375 Hemichromini Fish described in 1916 Taxa named by Humphry Greenwood Cichlid genera Monotypic ray-finned fish genera