Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Trematocranus: Greek, trematos = hole + Greek, kranion = skull (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; pH range: 7.0 - 8.5; dH range: ? - 25; depth range ? - 32 m (Ref. 55954). Tropical; 24°C - 26°C (Ref. 2060), preferred ?; 9°S - 17°S
Africa: Widespread in Lake Malawi, upper Shire River and Lake Malombe.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5709)
Shallow-water species (Ref. 267, 55954), especially in swards of Vallisneria (Ref. 267). Feeds mainly on gastropods, including Gabiella stanleyi, which is commonly found on the leaves of Vallisneria (Ref. 267).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
The female can carry over 100 young in her mouth.
Maréchal, C., 1991. Trematocranus. p. 516-517. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, G.G. Teugels and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 4. (Ref. 5709)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 109396)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Aquarium: commercial
More information
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.6250 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.58 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (25 of 100) .