''Paretroplus'' is a genus of fishes in the

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 ...

family, all of which are

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 lakes and rivers of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. The vast majority are

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

and restricted to the northwestern part of the island.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae and Taxonomic Revision of the Malagasy Cichlid Genus Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichlidae).'' Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History Number 314 :1-151 Only '' P. polyactis'' is found in the southern half of Madagascar and only ''P. polyactis'' and '' P. gymnopreopercularis'' are found in eastern drainages.Sparks, J. S. and Schelly, R. C. (2011). ''A new species of Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichlidae: Etroplinae) from northeastern Madagascar, with a phylogeny and revised diagnosis for the P. damii clade.'' Zootaxa 2768: 55–68. Most are restricted to freshwater, but at least ''P. polyactis'' and '' P. maromandia'' can also be seen in

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

habitats. They are more closely related to the genus ''

Etroplus ''Etroplus'' is a small genus of cichlids native to southern India and Sri Lanka. Together with ''Pseudetroplus'' (which formerly was included in ''Etroplus''), they are the only ciclids of this region. Their closest living relatives are ''Paret ...

'' from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

than they are to other cichlids from Madagascar (subfamilies

Paratilapiinae ''Paratilapia'' is a genus of cichlids generally restricted to Madagascar. These are large, dark cichlids densely covered in light spots. An additional very poorly known species from the Congo River basin in mainland Africa is sometimes also pla ...

and

Ptychochrominae The Ptychochrominae are a subfamily in the cichlid family of fish. It includes about 14 species. They are restricted to lakes and rivers in Madagascar, and the majority are threatened. Most cichlid genera native to Madagascar are included in thi ...

). Their maximum length varies greatly depending on the exact species, ranging from in '' P. kieneri'' and '' P. gymnopreopercularis'' to almost in '' P. damii''. ''Paretroplus'' includes both relatively slender-bodied species (''P. damii'', ''P. gymnopreopercularis'', ''P. kieneri'', '' P. lamenabe'', '' P. loisellei'', '' P. nourissati'' and '' P. tsimoly'') and relatively deep-bodied species (all remaining).

Species

There are currently 13 recognized species in this genus. Additionally, an

undescribed species In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...

from the ''P. damii''–''loisellei'' species group is known from the Ankofia River basin in northwestern Madagascar. * ''

Paretroplus dambabe ''Paretroplus dambabe'' is an endangered species of cichlid from the Mahavavy du Sud river basin, including Lake Kinkony, in northwestern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae and Taxonomic Revision ...

'' Sparks, 2002 * ''

Paretroplus damii The damba (''Paretroplus damii'') is a species of cichlid. Etymology The genus name ''Paretroplus'' is composed by the Greek ''Para'' (meaning ''similar to'') and ''Etroplus'' (a closely related genus of Indian cichlids). The Latin species nam ...

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Paretroplus gymnopreopercularis ''Paretroplus gymnopreopercularis'' is a species of cichlid from the vicinity of the confluence of the Amboaboa and Mangarahara Rivers near Mandritsara in northern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae ...

'' Sparks, 2008 * ''

Paretroplus kieneri The kotsovato (''Paretroplus kieneri'') is a species of cichlid from northwestern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae and Taxonomic Revision of the Malagasy Cichlid Genus Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichl ...

'' Arnoult, 1960 * ''

Paretroplus lamenabe ''Paretroplus lamenabe'' is a species of cichlid from the lower part of the Mahajamba RiverSparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae and Taxonomic Revision of the Malagasy Cichlid Genus Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichlid ...

'' Sparks, 2008 (Big red cichlid) * ''

Paretroplus loisellei ''Paretroplus loisellei'' is a vulnerable species of cichlid fish from the Mahanara River basin north of Sambava in northeastern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. and Schelly, R. C. (2011). ''A new species of Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichlidae: Etroplin ...

'' Sparks &

Schelly The schelly (''Coregonus stigmaticus'') is a living fresh water fish of the salmon family, endemic to four lakes in the Lake District, England. Its taxonomy is disputed with some recognizing it as a distinct species and others as a variant of t ...

, 2011 * ''

Paretroplus maculatus The damba mipentina (''Paretroplus maculatus'') is a critically endangered species of cichlid fish from turbid, shallow flood-plain lakes in the Betsiboka and Ikopa River basins in northwestern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of th ...

Kiener Louis Charles Kiener (31 July 1799 – 24 July 1881) was a French malacologist born in Paris. He was the author of the 12-volume ''Spécies général et iconographie des coquilles vivantes comprenant la collection du Muséum d'histoire naturelle ...

& Maugé, 1966 * ''

Paretroplus maromandia ''Paretroplus maromandia'' is an endangered species of cichlid fish from fresh and brackish water in northwestern Madagascar, where known from the Maintsomalaza, Andranomalaza and Maevarano Rivers, and Lake Andrapongy.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ' ...

'' Sparks & Reinthal, 1999 * ''

Paretroplus menarambo ''Paretroplus menarambo'' (pinstripe menarambo or pinstripe damba) is a species of cichlid fish. It is threatened by invasive species and over-fishing. It is part of a captive breeding program by public institutions like London Zoo and Bolton ...

'' Allgayer, 1996 * ''

Paretroplus nourissati ''Paretroplus nourissati'', the lamena, is a species of cichlid from the vicinity of the confluence of the Amboaboa and Mangarahara Rivers near Mandritsara in northern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etr ...

'' ( Allgayer, 1998) * '' Paretroplus petiti'' Pellegrin, 1929 * ''

Paretroplus polyactis ''Paretroplus polyactis'' is a vulnerable species of cichlid found widely in fresh and brackish water in coastal regions and associated river basins in eastern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae and ...

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Paretroplus tsimoly ''Paretroplus tsimoly'' is a species of cichlid fish from the Betsiboka River basin in northwestern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae and Taxonomic Revision of the Malagasy Cichlid Genus Paretroplus ...

'' Stiassny, Chakrabarty & Loiselle, 2001 The genus can be divided into several

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

s, and one of these includes ''P. lamenabe'', ''P. nourissati'' and ''P. tsimoly'', which have been considered worthy of placement in their own genus ''Lamena'' (still used in their common names). On a higher level these three are part of a clade that also includes ''P. damii'' and ''P. loisellei''.

References

Etroplinae Cichlid fish of Africa * Freshwater fish genera Cichlid genera Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Cichlidae-stub