Classification / Names
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Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Etroplinae
Etymology: Paretroplus: Name from the Greek 'para' meaning 'on the side of'; in taxonomy it is commonly used in generic names to express similarity or relatedness; in the present case it would mean 'next to Etroplus' (S.Kullander, pers.comm. 3/11).
Eponymy: Jean Claude Nourissat (1942–2003) was a French cichlid aquarist and collector who risked his life looking for new species in Madagascar, including the Paretroplus (he died from malaria three days after returning from his last trip there). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: Sofia River basin in Madagascar (Ref. 78623).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 78623)
Dorsal spines (total): 14 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 15; Anal spines: 7 - 8; Anal soft rays: 10 - 13. Diagnosis: A shallow-bodied, elongate Paretroplus diagnosed from all congeners except P. lamenabe and P. tsimoly by the presence of two wide and convergent, below the lateral midline, dark brown to black midlateral bands, representing the second and third or third and four bars in series; Paretroplus nourissati is diagnosed in life by a pigmentation pattern of broad vertical black bars on the flanks over bright orange to reddish-orange ground colouration (Ref. 78623). It is further distinguished from both P. lamenabe and P. tsimoly, in life and preservative, by the absence of bluish-gray to bluish-black lips, lower jaw, lower cheek, gular region, and belly; Paretroplus nourissati is further distinguished from P. lamenabe by a shallower body, 38.1-43.5% of standard length vs. 47.0-54.3%; pelvic fins that do not extend to origin of the anal fin when adducted, and by a smaller adult size, up to 160 mm standard length vs. regularly exceeding 180 mm standard length in P. lamenabe; it is further distinguished from P. tsimoly by the absence of enlarged, lobed lips; only P. lamenabe and P. nourissati exhibit a lateral pigmentation pattern in which the central two bars, which converge below the lateral midline, are by far the most prominent; by contrast, in life and preservation, P. tsimoly exhibits a pigmentation pattern in which the posteriormost five or four, as the bar on the caudal peduncle is sometimes pale, bars on the flanks are about equally prominent (Ref. 78623).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Sparks, J.S., 2008. Phylogeny of the cichlid subfamily Etroplinae and taxonomic revision of the Malagasy cichlid genus Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 314:1-151. (Ref. 78623)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01660 (0.00652 - 0.04224), b=2.95 (2.73 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.8 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).