Cyphotilapia frontosa

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	PERCIFORMES	CICHLIDAE

Scientific Name:

Cyphotilapia frontosa

Species Authority:

(Boulenger, 1906)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Humphead Cichlid

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2006
Assessor/s:	Bigirimana, C.
Reviewer/s:	Snoeks, J. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Programme)
Justification: Widespread distribution throughout Lake Tanganyika with no major widespread threats identified.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Widespread throughout the lake.
Countries:	Native: Burundi; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Tanzania, United Republic of; Zambia
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	No information available.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Cyphotilapia frontosa prefers a rocky bottom habitat extending into deep water. It is a generalized predator on fish and macro-invertbrates. Fragments of mollusc shells have also been found in the gut. Gill net catches show that Cyphotilapia frontosa is most abundant between 60–120 m (Pearce 1958). However, large schools of up to about 1,000 individuals have been observed underwater by Brichard (1978) at 30 to 40 m depth. Individual size seems to increase with depth, ranging commonly between 250 and 300 mm, making this species one of the larger rock dwellers.
Systems:	Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Cyphotilapia frontosa prefers a rocky bottom habitat extending into deep water. It is a generalized predator on fish and macro-invertbrates. Fragments of mollusc shells have also been found in the gut. Gill net catches show that Cyphotilapia frontosa is most abundant between 60–120 m (Pearce 1958). However, large schools of up to about 1,000 individuals have been observed underwater by Brichard (1978) at 30 to 40 m depth. Individual size seems to increase with depth, ranging commonly between 250 and 300 mm, making this species one of the larger rock dwellers.

Systems:

Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Sedimentation, and over-exploitation for the aquarium trade. A specific threat in Burundi is the road construction from Bujumbura to Rumonge, which results in increased sedimentation, deforestation, water pollution, and risk of landslides.

Major Threat(s):

Sedimentation, and over-exploitation for the aquarium trade. A specific threat in Burundi is the road construction from Bujumbura to Rumonge, which results in increased sedimentation, deforestation, water pollution, and risk of landslides.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The species is not protected by any specific legislation.

Conservation Actions:

The species is not protected by any specific legislation.

Bibliography [top]

	Coulter, G.W. 1991. Lake Tanganyika and its life. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Daget, J., Gosse, J.P., Teugels, G.G. and Thys van den Audenaerde, D.F.E. (eds). 1991. Check-list of the Freshwater Fishes of Africa (CLOFFA IV) ISNB, Brussels and MRAC, Tervuren, Belgium, and ORSTOM, Paris, France. IUCN. 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 04 May 2006. Poll, M. 1956. Poissons Cichlidae. In: Exploration Hydrobiologique du Lac Tanganika (1946–1947). Résultats scientifiques. 3(5B): 390–394. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium.

Coulter, G.W. 1991. Lake Tanganyika and its life. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

Daget, J., Gosse, J.P., Teugels, G.G. and Thys van den Audenaerde, D.F.E. (eds). 1991. Check-list of the Freshwater Fishes of Africa (CLOFFA IV) ISNB, Brussels and MRAC, Tervuren, Belgium, and ORSTOM, Paris, France.

IUCN. 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 04 May 2006.

Poll, M. 1956. Poissons Cichlidae. In: Exploration Hydrobiologique du Lac Tanganika (1946–1947). Résultats scientifiques. 3(5B): 390–394. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium.

Citation:	Bigirimana, C. 2006. Cyphotilapia frontosa. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012.
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