Rhamphochromis

Life-forms

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: Rhamphochromis
Species: R. brevis – R. esox – R. ferox – R. leptosoma – R. longiceps – R. lucius – R. macrophthalmus – R. leptosoma – R. woodi
Name

Rhamphochromis Regan, 1922: 724

Gender: Masculine
Type species: Hemichromis longiceps Günther, 1864
Type by original designation

References

Regan, C.T. 1922: The cichlid fishes of Lake Nyassa. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1921 (pt 4) (36): 675–727, Pls. 1-6. BHL
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.

Links

ION
Nomenclator Zoologicus

Rhamphochromis is a genus of East African haplochromine cichlids endemic to the Lake Malawi basin, also including Lake Malombe, Lake Chilingali, Chia Lagoon and upper Shire River.[1] They mainly occur in offshore open waters (down to depths of 200 m or 660 ft[2]), but a few species also near the coast.[3] They are piscivores that typically feed on lake sardines and small utaka cichlids.[3]

They are elongated in shape and mainly silver or golden-silver in color, sometimes with yellow fins (especially pelvic and anal fins) and dark horizontal lines along the body. Depending on the species involved, they reach lengths of up to 28 to 45 cm (11–18 in).[4]

Although not closely related, they have sometimes been compared to piscivorous Bathybates cichlids of Lake Tanganyika.[5]
Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus,[4] although the naming of these cichlids has been complicated. For example, FishBase states that Rhamphochromis lucius is almost certainly a synonym of R. woodi[6] whereas the Catalog of Fishes states that it is a synonym of R. esox.[7]

Rhamphochromis esox (Boulenger, 1908)
Rhamphochromis ferox Regan, 1922
Rhamphochromis longiceps (Günther, 1864) (Tigerfish)
Rhamphochromis lucius C. G. E. Ahl, 1926
Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus Regan, 1922
Rhamphochromis woodi Regan, 1922

The IUCN and the Catalog of Fishes recognise the following five species as valid within this genus:[7][8]

Rhamphochromis brevis Trewavas, 1935
Rhamphochromis esox (Boulenger, 1908)
Rhamphochromis ferox Regan, 1922
Rhamphochromis longiceps (Günther, 1864)
Rhamphochromis woodi Regan, 1922

References

Genner; Nichols; Carvalho; Robinson; Shaw; Smith; and Turner (2007). Evolution of a cichlid fish in a Lake Malawi satellite lake. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 274(1623). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0619.
Lowe-McConnell, R.H. (2003). Recent research in the African Great Lakes: Fisheries, biodiversity and cichlid evolution. Freshwater Forum 20(1): 4—64.
Konings, Ad (1990). Ad Konings' Book of Cichlids and all the other Fishes of Lake Malawi. Pp. 458—464. ISBN 978-0866225274.
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2017). Species of Rhamphochromis in FishBase. April 2017 version.
Lindqvist, O.V.; H. Mölsä; K. Solonen; J. Sarvala, editors (1999). From Limnology to Fisheries: Lake Tanganyika and Other Large Lakes. Pp. 213—214. Springer. ISBN 978-0792360179
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Rhamphochromis lucius" in FishBase. October 2018 version.
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Rhamphochromis". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
"Rhamphochromis". IUCN. Retrieved 15 January 2019.