''Danakilia franchettii'' is a species of

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...

fish

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the saline

Lake Afrera Lake Afrera (in Italian Lake Giuletti) is a hypersaline lake in northern Ethiopia. Located in Kilbet Rasu, Afar Region, it is one of the lakes of the Danakil Depression. According to its entry in Lakenet, it has a surface area of , although anothe ...

and nearby swamps in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. It was the only member of the genus ''

Danakilia ''Danakilia'' is a genus of cichlids native to northeastern Africa where they are only known from saline lakes, rivers and creeks in the Danakil Depression of Ethiopia and Eritrea. There are two formally described species, along with three undesc ...

'' until the description of '' D. dinicolai'' in 2010. The species is listed as endangered, due to

water abstraction Water extraction (or water withdrawal) is the process of taking water from any source, either temporarily or permanently, for flood control or to obtain water for, for example, irrigation. The extracted water could also be used as drinking wate ...

and mining of salt in the lake. The specific name honours the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

explorer

Raimondo Franchetti Baron Raimondo Franchetti has been the name of more than one Italian Baron, of the noble Franchetti family. The Franchettis were an Italian Jewish family who, from the 18th century onwards, were one of the wealthiest families in the Mediterranean. ...

(1889-1935), who organised, at his own expense, the expedition that collected type.

References

Endemic fauna of Ethiopia franchettii Fish of Ethiopia Fish described in 1931 {{Tilapiini-stub