Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Petrotilapia: Latin,petra = stone + Bechuana, African native thiape = fish (Ref. 45335); palingnathos: The name palingnathos, from the Greek pálin, meaning back or backwards, and gnáthos, meaning mouth or jaw, referring to the shorter lower jaw. A noun in apposition.
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical, preferred ?; 12°S - 13°S, 34°E - 35°E
Africa: endemic to Lake Malawi, known from Chizumulu Island and Taiwanee Reef (Ref. 87181).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 11.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 87181)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Adult male and female P. palingnathos have distinctly retrognathous jaws and can thus be distinguished from all other members of Petrotilapia. Furthermore, the absence of a dark submarginal band in the dorsal fin distinguishes P. palingnathos from P. microgalana, P. genalutea, P. nigra, P. chrysos, P. mumboensis, and P. pyroscelos, which have such a band. Adult males of P. palingnathos are dark gray with orange markings and scales outlined in blue with orange cheek and a blue gular area, which distinguishes them from P. tridentiger, which are light blue with dark blue bars, and from males of P. xanthos which are yellow, while those of P. flaviventris are yellow on ventral and mid-sides with scales outlined in blue (Ref/ 87181).
Normally found in the shallow but not wave-washed habitat (Ref. 87181). Petrotilapia species have fleshy lips with numerous slender teeth that are used to comb the algae on rocks for diatoms and loose algal strands (Ref. 6256, 87181). Adult Petrotilapia males establish territories; females, juveniles, and non-territorial males are found either singly or in schools throughout the rocky habitat (Ref. 6256).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Lundeba, M., J.R. Stauffer Jr. and A. F. Konings, 2011. Five new species of the genus Petrotilapia (Teleostei: Cichlidae), from Lake Malawi, Africa. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 22(2): 149-168 (Ref. 87181)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 109396)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries:
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5010 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01479 (0.00693 - 0.03157), b=2.97 (2.80 - 3.14), based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.4 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
69278): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (16 of 100) .