Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Otopharynx: Greek, ous = hear + Greek, pharyngx = pharynx (Ref. 45335); alpha: From αλφα (alfa), first letter of the Greek alphabet; the suprapectoral spot and posterior stripe suggest a dot and dash, which represents "A" in International Morse Code; a noun in apposition (Ref. 119408).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical
Africa: Lake Malawi in Malawi (Ref. 119408).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 14.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 119408)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10. Diagnosis: A medium-sized laterally spotted haplochromine separable from all previously described species of Otopharynx both by its unique melanin pattern and by its distinctive lower pharyngeal bone (Ref. 119408). The suprapectoral spot is rectangular, 2-2.5 scales high, longitudinally elongate, covering 7-8 consecutive scales starting with the seventh scale of the upper lateral line, extending vertically from just above the lateral midline to slightly above the upper lateral line; the supraanal and precaudal spots are conjoined, forming a continuous stripe, paler at its midlength in some specimens, from the level of the anal-fin origin to the base of the caudal fin; the lower pharyngeal bone is broadly triangular, somewhat heart-shaped, with numerous uniformly small, laterally compressed, crowded, bicuspid teeth (Ref. 119408).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oliver, M.K., 2018. Six new species of the Cichlid genus Otopharynx from Lake Malaŵi (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 59(2):159-197. (Ref. 119408)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = No PD50 data [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.4 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).
