''Paretroplus nourissati'', the lamena, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 ...

from the vicinity of the confluence of the Amboaboa and Mangarahara Rivers near

Mandritsara Mandritsara is a city and commune (commune urbain, mg, kaominina) in northern Madagascar. It belongs to the Districts of Madagascar, district of Mandritsara District, Mandritsara, which is a part of Sofia Region. The population of the commune w ...

in northern

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 ...

.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 This relatively elongate ''

Paretroplus ''Paretroplus'' is a genus of fishes in the cichlid family, all of which are endemic to lakes and rivers of Madagascar. The vast majority are threatened and restricted to the northwestern part of the island.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of t ...

'' reaches about in length, and is closely related to '' P. lamenabe'' and '' P.tsimoly''. ''P. nourissati'' is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

. Like other members of the

lamena ''Paretroplus'' is a genus of fishes in the cichlid family, all of which are endemic to lakes and rivers of Madagascar. The vast majority are threatened and restricted to the northwestern part of the island.Sparks, J. S. (2008). ''Phylogeny of t ...

group, it is a

rheophile A rheophile is an animal that prefers to live in fast-moving water. Examples of rheophilic animals Insects *Many aquatic insects living in riffles require current to survive. *'' Epeorus sylvicola'', a rheophilic mayfly species ( Ephemeroptera ...

(although less so than ''

Oxylapia polli ''Oxylapia'' is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Cichlidae. It contains the single species ''Oxylapia polli'', known locally as the songatana. It is an endangered species, endemic to the Marolambo Rapids in the Nosivolo River (a tribu ...

''), and typically found in river sections that are shallow, clear and fast-flowing. '' P. gymnopreopercularis'' is found in the same region, but it appears to be restricted to deeper pools in the river. A member of another cichlid genus, ''

Ptychochromis insolitus ''Ptychochromis insolitus'', also known as the Mangarahara cichlid or joba mena, is a species of cichlid endemic to certain river systems in northern Madagascar.Stiassny, M., and Sparks, J. S. (2006). ''Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the End ...

'', is also restricted to the region.Stiassny, M., and Sparks, J. S. (2006). ''Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Endemic Malagasy Genus Ptychochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae), with the Description of Five New Species and a Diagnosis for Katria, New Genus.''

American Museum Novitates ''American Museum Novitates'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Museum of Natural History. It was established in 1921. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal has a 2013 impact factor The impact f ...

3535. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

honours the cichlid

aquarist An aquarist is a person who manages aquariums, either professionally or as a hobby. They typically care for aquatic animals, including fish and marine invertebrates. Some may care for aquatic mammals. Aquarists often work at public aquariums. They ...

Jean Claude Nourissat (1942-2003).

References

nourissati Freshwater fish of Madagascar Fish described in 1998 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Cichlidae-stub