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); pyroscelos: The name pyroscelos is from the Greek pyros, meaning fire, and skelos, meaning leg, referring to the pelvic fins of males that have the color of fire. A noun in apposition (Ref. 87181).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical, preferred ?; 12°S - 13°S, 34°E - 35°E
Africa: endemic to Lake Malawi, only known from Chizumulu Island (Ref. 87181).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 87181)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
The dark submarginal band in the spinous part of the dorsal fin of both male and female distinguishes P. pyroscelos from P. tridentiger, P. xanthos, P. flaviventris, and P. palingnathos, which lack such a band. Males of P. pyroscelos have blue and bronze ground color with 7-9 gray vertical bars, whitish to gray throat and purple cheek, which distinguishes it from P. genalutea, P. nigra, P. chrysos, P. microgalana and P. mumboensis. Males of P. genalutea are dull gray-blue with 5-7 black vertical bars, have an orange-yellow cheek, and a black throat. Males of P. nigra and P. chrysos are predominantly blue-black with 7-10 gray/brown bars, have a dark blue cheek, and a black throat. Males of P. microgalana are bright blue with 5-7 faint black vertical bars, and have a light blue cheek and a yellow throat, while those of P. mumboensis are blue with 8 dark blue vertical bars, light blue cheeks, and a light blue to gray gular region. Females of P. pyroscelos are brown with faint blue and yellow highlights with a conspicuous black submarginal band in the dorsal fin. Females of P. pyroscelos are distinguished from those of P. genalutea, P. nigra, P. chrysos, and P. microgalana by the brown to gray ground color on the flank which is beige or yellow in the other species and are distinguished from females of P. mumboensis which lack any horizontal elements of the flank’s pigmentation pattern (Ref. 87181).
Commonly encountered in the shallow wave-washed rocky areas (Ref. 6256, 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
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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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): 3.3 ±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 (15 of 100) .
