| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | ACTINOPTERYGII | PERCIFORMES | CICHLIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Otopharynx argyrosoma |
| Species Authority: | (Regan, 1922) |
| Taxonomic Notes: | There is confusion in the collections and reports. This name should be reserved for species with red blotches on the flanks. |
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 |
| Year Assessed: | 2006 |
| Assessor/s: | Kasembe, J. |
| Reviewer/s: | Snoeks, J. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Programme) |
|
Justification: Endemic to Lake Malawi. The main threat to this species is overfishing. A local decline in fishery catches is recorded for the southern parts of the lake, possibly due to the commercial trawl fishery, but the population is widespread throughout the rest of the lake where the trawl fishery is absent. Overall this species is assessed as Least Concern. |
|
| Range Description: | Endemic to Lake Malawi and the Upper Shire River. It has a lake wide distribution. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Malawi; Mozambique; Tanzania, United Republic of
|
| Range Map: |
(click map to view full version)
|
| Population: | No information available. |
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
|
| Habitat and Ecology: | Occurs over sand in both shallow and deeper waters. It feeds mainly on benthic crustaceans sifted from the sand. Territorial males construct sand castle nests on the open sand. Non-breeding individuals congregate in large schools. Mouth brooding schools move in groups to deeper waters. Known as "Haplochromis eucinostomus, Haplochromis longimanus" in the aquarium trade. Max. size: 15 cm TL. |
| Systems: | Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | No information available. |
| Conservation Actions: | No information available. |
| Citation: | Kasembe, J. 2006. Otopharynx argyrosoma. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012. |
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