''Pelvicachromis'' is a genus of small (), brightly coloured

cichlid 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 ...

s from tropical

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

. They typically inhabit soft, acidic water ( pH 5.6 – 6.9). All species form monogamous pairs and use caves as spawning sites. Most are easily spawned in captivity with adequate water quality.

Species

There are currently 11 recognized species in this genus: * ''

Pelvicachromis drachenfelsi ''Pelvicachromis drachenfelsi'' is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family, endemic to the Wouri River system near the town of Yabassi in Cameroon. Taxonomy Specimens from this locality were originally believed to be the same species as ''Pelv ...

'' Lamboj,

Bartel Bartel is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Bartel, one of the companions of Saint Nicholas * Bartel J. Jonkman (1884–1955), U.S. politician * Bartel Leendert van der Waerden (1903–1996), Dutch mathema ...

& dell’Ampio, 2014 * '' Pelvicachromis humilis'' Boulenger, 1916 * ''

Pelvicachromis kribensis ''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 ...

'' Boulenger, 1911 * '' Pelvicachromis pulcher'' Boulenger, 1901 (Rainbow Kribensis) * ''

Pelvicachromis roloffi ''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. Mo ...

'' Thys van den Audenaerde, 1968 * ''

Pelvicachromis rubrolabiatus ''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 ...

'' Lamboj, 2004 * ''

Pelvicachromis sacrimontis ''Pelvicachromis sacrimontis'' is a Fresh water, freshwater fish of the cichlid family known only from a small area of southeastern Nigeria. Currently Fishbase considers this Binomial nomenclature, binomial to be a junior synonym of Pelvicachromi ...

Paulo Paulo is a Portuguese language, Portuguese masculine given name equivalent to the English name Paul (given name), Paul. Notable people with the name include: * Paulo Jr., Brazilian bassist * Paulo Jr. (footballer), Brazilian footballer * Paulo A ...

, 1977 (Often mislabelled as ''P. pulcher'') * ''

Pelvicachromis signatus ''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 ...

'' Lamboj, 2004 * ''

Pelvicachromis silviae ''Pelvicachromis silviae'' is a species of cichlid in the genus ''Pelvicachromis''. It is found in the Niger River, in the same region as congeners '' Pelvicachromis pulcher'' and ''Pelvicachromis taeniatus''. It was described by Anton Lamboj i ...

'' Lamboj, 2013 * ''

Pelvicachromis subocellatus ''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 ...

'' Günther, 1872 * ''

Pelvicachromis taeniatus ''Pelvicachromis taeniatus'' is a species of cichlid from Benin and Nigeria that is occasionally kept as an aquarium fish. It is native to the soft-water rivers. This species can reach a length of SL. It is known to exist in a variety of geogr ...

'' Boulenger, 1901

Natural Environment

''Pelvicachromis'' species inhabit both slow and fast-moving waters in the wild but are only found present in these Central & West African watercourses near to dense underwater vegetation. The water in ''Pelvicachromis'' natural environment usually stays around 75° to 79 °F (24° to 26 °C). All described species in the genus have evolved with adaptability at the fore; water quality parameters can vary drastically within this dwarf-cichlids natural range. A species inhabiting different environments and arbitrary alterations must be able to cope with diverse habitats.

In the aquarium

''Pelvicachromis'' comprise part of the arbitrary group aquarists refer to as "

dwarf cichlid Dwarf cichlid is a term used by fishkeeping hobbyists to describe an arbitrary assemblage of small-sized fish from the family Cichlidae. Although the grouping is widely used in the aquarium industry and hobby, the grouping has no taxonomic or eco ...

s". They are relatively peaceful cichlids which can be housed with other species in planted, heated tanks. ''Pelvicachromis'' are cave-spawners and will lay their eggs in any cave-like structure such as a clay pot, PVC pipe, coconut shell, etc. The female will initiate the spawning, often displaying or vibrating in front of the male. The female will deposit 50–300 eggs in the cave and the pair will guard the eggs. The eggs hatch in 3–8 days and become free swimming in 5–10 days. There are yellow, blue, red morphological variations found in the

tropical fish Tropical fish are fish found in aquatic tropical environments around the world. Fishkeepers often keep tropical fish in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The term "tropical fish" is not a taxonomic group, but rather is a general term for f ...

hobby; these morphs are a product of natural local population variation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134263 Chromidotilapiini Cichlid genera