Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Haplochromis: Greek, Haploos = single + Greek, chromis = a fish, perhaps a perch (Ref. 45335); planus: Specific name from Latin planus, flat, referring to its flat, shovel-like lower jaw (Ref. 126074).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical
Africa: endemic to Lake Edward (Ref. 126074).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 8.2 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 126074)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 14 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 9; Vertebrae: 20 - 21. Diagnosis: Haplochromis planus differs from all other species of Haplochromis, except H. retrodens from Lake Victoria, by a shallow, broad and rectangular lower jaw with ascending arms steeply sloping upwards, enlarged and distinctly visible intrabuccally; oral-tooth bands U-shaped and, in large specimens of more than 75 mm standard length, set posteriorly with large and stout inner and outer teeth, especially in upper jaw; all oral mucosa in lower jaw at same height and oral-breathing valves strongly reduced to narrow, rectangular skin folds (Ref. 126074). It differs from H. retrodens by larger eyes, 35.7-41.6% of head length vs. 23.8-29.6%, correlated shorter snout, 24.6-28.8% of head length vs. 29.0-36.8%, and more slender interorbital width, 19.1-22.1% of head length vs. 24.2-33.8%, and dominant males with scarlet to red vs. dark grey-green flanks (Ref. 126074). It differs from H. concillans and H. erutus by a shallow vs. deep lower jaw, a narrower interorbital region, 19.1-22.1% of head length vs. 22.5-26.4% and 23.4-27.2% respectively, and dominant males with scarlet to red vs. blue-silver and silver-beige flanks, respectively; it differs further from H. concillans by a longer premaxillary pedicel, 21.9-24.4% of head length vs. 16.1-21.6%, and from H. erutus by a longer upper jaw, 27.6-32.1% of head length vs. 20.9-26.0% (Ref. 126074).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Vranken, N., M. Van Steenberge and J. Snoeks, 2020. Similar ecology, different morphology: three new species of oral-mollusc shellers from Lake Edward. J. Fish Biol. 96(5):1202-1217. (Ref. 126074)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
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