''Cynotilapia'' is a
genus of
haplochromine
__NOTOC__
The haplochromine cichlids are a tribe of cichlids in subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae called Haplochromini. This group includes the type genus (''Haplochromis'') plus a number of closely related genera such as '' Aulonocara'', '' Astat ...
cichlids. All fishes in these genus form part of the
mbuna
Mbuna (pronounced Mmm-boo - nah ) is the common name for a large group of African cichlids from Lake Malawi, and are members of the haplochromine family. The name ''mbuna'' means "rockfish" in the language of the Tonga people of Malawi.Loiselle ...
flock, the rock-dwelling fishes of
Lake Malawi, in the rift valley of
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
. All species are
polygamous,
maternal, ovophile
mouthbrooders
Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a va ...
and carry their fry in this fashion for about 20–30 days.
Species
There are currently 2 recognized species in this genus,
although some authorities recognise 5:
* ''
Cynotilapia afra''
( Günther, 1894)
* ''
Cynotilapia aurifrons''
(Tawil
''Ṭawīl'' ( ar, طويل, literally 'long'), or ''al-Ṭawīl'' (), is a meter used in classical Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry ( ar, الشعر العربي ''ash-shi‘ru al-‘Arabīyyu'') is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present kn ...
, 2011)
* ''
Cynotilapia axelrodi''
W. E. Burgess, 1976
* ''
Cynotilapia chilundu''
Li, Konings & Stauffer, 2016
* ''
Cynotilapia zebroides''
( D. S. Johnson, 1975)
FishBase places ''C. aurifroms'' and ''C. zebroides'' in the genus ''
Microchromis''.
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]
References
*
Cichlid genera
Taxa named by Charles Tate Regan
{{Cichlidae-stub