''Ptychochromis'' is a genus of

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...

s endemic to rivers and lakes in Madagascar. One species ('' P. grandidieri'') can also be seen in brackish water.Stiassny, M.L.J. & Sparks, J.S. (2006): Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Endemic Malagasy Genus ''Ptychochromis'' (Teleostei: Cichlidae), with the Description of Five New Species and a Diagnosis for ''Katria'', New Genus. ''American Museum Novitates, 3535: 1-56.'' Most species in this genus are threatened, and '' P. onilahy'' is probably

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. Most reach a length of 15 to 20cm, but '' P. insolitus'' reaches 25, while ''P. grandidieri'' and '' P. oligacanthus'' reach 35 and 20cm respectively. The largest species was P onilahy which may have reached as much as 45cm if reports of fishermen are to be believed.

Species

There are currently 10 recognized species in this genus: * ''

Ptychochromis curvidens ''Ptychochromis curvidens'' is an endangered species of fish in the cichlid family. It is endemic to a few rivers that flow west from Montagne d'Ambre in far northern Madagascar.Stiassny, M., and Sparks, J. S. (2006). ''Phylogeny and Taxonomic Re ...

'' Stiassny &

Sparks Sparks may refer to: Places *Sparks, Georgia * Sparks, Kansas *Sparks, Kentucky *Sparks, Maryland * Sparks, Nebraska *Sparks, Nevada *Sparks, Oklahoma *Sparks, Texas * Sparks, Bell County, Texas * Sparks, West Virginia Books * ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...

, 2006 * ''

Ptychochromis ernestmagnusi ''Ptychochromis ernestmagnusi'' is a species of fish cichlid only known from the Mananara du Nord River in northeastern Madagascar, but it is probably more widespread in that region.Sparks, J. S., and Stiassny, M. (2010). ''A new species of Ptych ...

& Stiassny, 2010 * '' Ptychochromis grandidieri''

Sauvage Sauvage, French for "savage" may refer to: ; as a surname: * Catherine Sauvage (1929–1998), a French singer and actress * Cyrille Sauvage (born 1973), a French racing driver * Frédéric Sauvage (1786–1857), a French boat builder who carried ...

, 1882 * ''

Ptychochromis inornatus ''Ptychochromis inornatus'' is an endangered species of cichlid endemic to the Ankofia River basin and its tributaries in the eastern part of the Mahajanga Province in Madagascar.Stiassny, M., and Sparks, J. S. (2006). ''Phylogeny and Taxonomic ...

, 2002 * '' Ptychochromis insolitus'' Stiassny &

, 2006 * ''

Ptychochromis loisellei ''Ptychochromis loisellei'' is a species of cichlid from the Mahanara River basin north of Sambava in northeastern Madagascar.Stiassny, M., and Sparks, J. S. (2006). ''Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Endemic Malagasy Genus Ptychochromis ...

'' Stiassny &

, 2006 * ''

Ptychochromis makira ''Ptychochromis makira'' is a species of cichlid only known from the Antainambalana River in the northernmost part of the Toamasina Province in Madagascar.Stiassny, M., and Sparks, J. S. (2006). ''Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Endemic M ...

'' Stiassny &

, 2006 * ''

Ptychochromis mainty ''Ptychochromis mainty'' is a species of cichlid from the subfamily Ptychochrominae, a subfamily which is endemic to the freshwaters of Madagascar. It has only been recorded from forested streams in the vicinity of Fort Dauphin in the south east ...

'' C. M. Martinez, Arroyave-Gutiérrez &

, 2015Martinez, C.M., Arroyave, J. & Sparks, J.S. (2015): A new species of ''Ptychochromis'' from southeastern Madagascar (Teleostei: Cichlidae). ''Zootaxa, 4044 (1): 79–92.'' * ''

Ptychochromis oligacanthus ''Ptychochromis oligacanthus'' is a species of cichlid endemic in fresh water habitats in the western part of the Antsiranana Province in Madagascar.Stiassny, M., and Sparks, J. S. (2006). ''Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Endemic Malagas ...

'' ( Bleeker, 1868) * '' Ptychochromis onilahy'' Stiassny &

, 2006 Additionally, cichlid from the eastern Anosy Region in far southeastern Madagascar may actually represent an undescribed species, popularly known as ''Ptychochromis'' sp. "Manampanihy".

References

Ptychochrominae Cichlid genera Taxa named by Franz Steindachner Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Cichlidae-stub