''Sargochromis'' 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 ...

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 ...

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 native to freshwater habitats in

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

, where found in the upper and middle

Zambezi The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

basin,

Okavango delta The Okavango Delta or Okavango Grassland is a vast inland delta in Botswana formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an elevation of in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari Desert. It is a UNESCO Wor ...

, Cunene basin, Cuvelai basin and southeastern

Congo Basin The Congo Basin () is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the larg ...

. They are typically known as happies (a name also used for some other haplocromines) or smallmouths. The latter name refers to their small mouth compared to their close relatives, the largemouths of the genus '' Serranochromis''. Unlike the species in that genus which mostly feed on other fish, ''Sargochromis'' mostly feed on invertebrates (especially

molluscs Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

and aquatic

insects Insects (from Latin ') are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed ...

), but in some species plant material (especially seeds) is important. On occasion they will also eat small fish, and the stomachs of ''S. carlottae'' and ''S. codringtonii'' commonly contain fish scales, but whether these are already-lost scales that are picked off the bottom or they are actively bumped off large fish is unknown. Some of the species that feed heavily on aquatic snails have been used for

biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or ot ...

. ''Sargochromis'' are

mouthbrooder Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a va ...

s. Depending on the exact species, they reach a maximum total length of . ''Sargochromis'' support important local fisheries, and some are also considered

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishing, recreational fishers (typically angling, anglers), and can be freshwater fish, freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be fish as food, eaten aft ...

. Although a few species have quite small distributions, they generally remain fairly common overall. All ''Sargochromis'' species are considered

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

(not threatened) by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, except the relatively poorly known ''S. thysi'', which is considered

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

(available information is insufficient for determining its conservation status).

Species and taxonomy

There are currently eight recognized species in this genus: * '' Sargochromis carlottae'' ( Boulenger, 1905) (Rainbow Happy) * '' Sargochromis codringtonii'' ( Boulenger, 1908) (Green Happy) * '' Sargochromis coulteri'' ( Bell-Cross, 1975) (Cunene Happy) * '' Sargochromis giardi'' ( Pellegrin, 1903) (Pink Happy) * '' Sargochromis greenwoodi'' ( Bell-Cross, 1975) (Greenwood's Happy) * '' Sargochromis mellandi'' ( Boulenger, 1905) (Snaileater) * '' Sargochromis mortimeri'' ( Bell-Cross, 1975) (Mortimer's Happy) * '' Sargochromis thysi'' (

Poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Forms of voting and counting * 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 ...

, 1967) A few other, 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 ...

are known. In the past, ''Sargochromis'' was considered a subgenus of '' Serranochromis'', but today it is generally recognized as a separate genus. These genera, along with '' Chetia'', ''

Pharyngochromis ''Pharyngochromis'' is a genus of cichlids native to Southern Africa where they are only known from the Zambezi, Okavango, Save–Runde and Kunene basins. There are two species, which reach up to in total length, respectively. Species and ta ...

'' and others, form a group sometimes known as the serranochromines or Serranochromini. How many other genera that are included varies, with some defining the group relatively narrowly and others broadly. Genetic evidence indicates that several genera in this group, including ''Sargochromis'', are not

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2704836 Haplochromini Cichlid genera Taxa named by Charles Tate Regan