Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
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: Haplochromini
Genus: Nimbochromis
Species: N. fuscotaeniatus – N. linni – N. livingstonii – N. polystigma – N. venustus
Name
Nimbochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989:282
Type species: Hemichromis livingstonii Günther, 1894. Type by original designation.
References
Eccles, D.H. & Trewavas, E. 1989. Malawian cichlid fishes. The classification of some Haplochromine genera. Lake Fish Movies, H.W. Dieckhoff, Herten, West Germany: 1–334. Reference page.
Snoeks, J. & Hanssens, M. 2004. Identification guidelines to other non-mbuna. pp. 266–310 in: Snoeks, J. (ed). The cichlid diversity of Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa: identification, distribution and taxonomy. Cichlid Press, El Paso, Texas: 1–360.
Links
ION
Nomenclator Zoologicus
Vernacular names
English: Sleeper cichlids
Nimbochromis is a small genus of haplochromine cichlids mostly endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. They are known as sleeper cichlids or kaligono ("sleepers" in Chichewa) due to their unique hunting behaviour.
These piscivorous species are often seen lying motionless on the lake bottom near rocks where mbuna live, even adopting an unusual sideways position rarely seen in living fish. If smaller fishes approach, the Nimbochromis will "wake up" and try to seize them. Their coloration has an irregular dark cloudy pattern on lighter background; for one thing, this provides camouflage, but it is also suspected that it is – at least in some – evolving into aggressive mimicry (apparent death) by imitating a rotting fish carcass and thus luring scavengers to their demise.
Species
There are currently five recognized species in this genus:[1]
Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus (Regan, 1922) (Spothead Hap, Fuscotaeniatus Hap)
Nimbochromis linni (W. E. Burgess & H. R. Axelrod, 1975)
Nimbochromis livingstonii (Günther, 1894) (Livingston's Cichlid)
Nimbochromis polystigma (Regan, 1922)
Nimbochromis venustus (Boulenger, 1908) (Giraffe Hap, Venustus Hap)
References
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Nimbochromis in FishBase. April 2013 version.
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