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); aureus: Specific name from Latin 'aureus', golden; referring to yellow chest, cheeks, and snout in dominant males and yellow pelvic fins in females (Ref. 128938).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical
Africa: Lake Edward.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 11.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 128938)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 14 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 10; Vertebrae: 30 - 31. Diagnosis: Haplochromis aureus is a species with an acute snout; acutely pointed oral teeth; very broad interorbital area, interorbital width 56.8-66.6% of head width; very short predorsal distance, predorsal distance 31.7-34.4% of standard length; dominant males light blue with yellow snout, cheeks, and chest (Ref. 128938). Small specimens can be mistaken for Haplochromis pappenheimi or H. pelagicus, but differ from both by a deeper body, body depth 30.7-33.5% of standard length vs. 25.4-31.0%; longer upper jaw, upper jaw length 29.3-35.6% of head length vs. 26.5-29.4%; fewer gill rakers, 12-14 vs. 13-18 (Ref. 128938). It resembles H. mentatus in habitus and overlaps slightly in habitat (H. mentatus mostly restricted to littoral regions), differs by a shorter lower jaw, lower jaw length 41.1-46.4% of head length vs. 43.9-51.0%; more and smaller upper outer teeth, upper outer teeth 48-65 vs. 28-46, and dominant males light blue with yellow cheeks and chest vs. uniformly yellow-green with red flanks (Ref. 128938).
Abundant in the upper water layers of deepwater regions (Ref. 128938). It feeds on chaoborids and winged ants; most probably an insectivorous species that catches aquatic and terrestrial insects from the water surface (Ref. 128938).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Vranken, N., M. Van Steenberge, M. Mbalassa and J. Snoeks, 2023. Just below the surface, the pelagic haplochromine cichlids from the Lake Edward system. Hydrobiologia 850:3173-3195. (Ref. 128938)
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=0.01445 (0.00674 - 0.03099), b=2.99 (2.82 - 3.16), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-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).
