Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Ovalentaria
Superordo: Cichlomorphae
Ordo: Cichliformes
Familia: Cichlidae
Subfamilia: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribus: Lamprologini
Genus: Altolamprologus
Species (2): A. calvus – A. compressiceps
Name
Altolamprologus Poll, 1986: 66
Gender: masculine
Type species: Lamprologus compressiceps Boulenger, 1898
Type by original designation
References
Poll, M. 1986: Classification des Cichlidae du lac Tanganika. Tribus, genres et especes. Mémoires de la Classe des Sciences. Series: Collection in-8° / Académie Royale de Belgique, 45 (2): 1–163.
Links
ION
Nomenclator Zoologicus
Altolamprologus is a small genus of pseudocrenilabrine cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa. They inhabit areas of the lake with large amounts of rock, most frequently in water two to ten metres in depth. Two formally described species comprise this genus, with perhaps one dwarf A. compressiceps-like species being considered an unedescribed species by some.
Species
There are currently two recognized species in this genus:[1]
Altolamprologus calvus (Poll, 1978)
Altolamprologus compressiceps (Boulenger, 1898)
Description
They are moderately-sized Lamrologines, growing to a total length of 13–15 cm (5–6 in) in adult males. Their bodies are laterally compressed and remarkably high-backed; hence the scientific name which means "high Lamprologus" (from Latin altus, "high"). They are predators which feed on large invertebrates and small fish, particularly crustaceans and juveniles of other cichlids.
In the aquarium
Altolamprologus are hardy at the standard Lake Tanganyikan water parameters. They are not particularly well-suited for beginners due to their predatory habits however. They can be picky eaters and demand a variety of appropriate living prey to thrive, but they are also prone to gorging themselves if they like the offered food and may become too fat. They also require large tanks – at least one meter/yard in length – to show their natural behavior, and cannot be kept together with small fish or shrimps.
They can be a challenge to breed for the novice. These fish are cave spawners and will spawn under terracotta pot saucers or in large snail shells. They are a rather slow growing Lamprologine taking approximately two years to reach sexual maturity.
References
Day, Julia J.; Santini, Simona & Garcia-Moreno, Jaime (2007): Phylogenetic relationships of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid tribe Lamprologini: The story from mitochondrial DNA. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 45(2): 629–642. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.025
Konings, A. (1998): Tanganyikan cichlids in their natural habitat. Cichlid Press.
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Altolamprologus in FishBase. February 2013 version.
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