Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Pelmatochromis: Greek, pelma, -atos = sole of the foot + Greek, chromis = a fish, perhaps a perch (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical, preferred ?
Africa: present in the Kouilou-Niari, Loeme and Ddjoungou rivers in Republic of Congo, the Ogooué basin in Gabon (Ref. 81620) and in the middle Congo River basin between Kinshasa and Yangambi, including the drainages of the Dja, Ruki, Kasai (Ref. 52307), Lake Tumba (Ref. 41580), Lomami (Ref. 106245) and Itimbiri (Ref. 106290). Also reported from the lower Congo (Ref. 94750).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 11.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5676)
Dorsal
spines
(total): 14 - 15;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 10-11;
Anal
spines: 3;
Anal
soft rays: 8 - 10. Diagnosis: rather deep-bodied (40.0-47.0% SL), greatest depth well behind dorsal fin origin; head moderately large (length 34.0-37.2% SL); wide interorbital (33.5-41% HL); mouth terminal and small; jaws (specimens >60 mm SL) with outer row teeth evenly spaced conical, unicuspid, 2-4 rows of smaller unicuspid inner teeth; smaller individuals often with some shouldered unicuspid or bicuspid teeth in jaws; caudal peduncle short and deep; soft dorsal and anal fins produced in adults, extending well over caudal fin in males; caudal fin truncate and heavily scaled over base; 3.5-4 scales between upper lateral line and dorsal fin origin; lanceolate epibranchial rakers; tips of pelvic fins in males reach well beyond the spinous anal fin (Ref. 81260).
Coloration: live color of specimens from Democratic Republic of Congo (vicinity of Kinshasa): base body coloration of pale yellowish gold with metallic green iridescent spotting on scales of cheek and anteroventral flank; well-developed supraorbital, interorbital and internasal stripes; opercular spot extremely well-developed, in mid-line series with a row of 6 black blotches and faint vertical stripes; a second row of smaller blotches in a diffuse horizontal band is frequently present between mid-line row and the dorsal fin base; Pelmatochromis spot at base of first 5-6 dorsal rays extends down onto dorsum in females and juveniles, slightly less well marked in large males; dorsal, caudal and anal fins with rows of dark maculae, proximally in anal fin these are often deep red (Ref. 81260).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Daget, J., 1991. Pelmatochromis. p. 361-362. 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. 5676)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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 = 0.6250 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01514 (0.00709 - 0.03231), b=2.97 (2.80 - 3.14), in cm Total Length, 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 (15 of 100) .