''Sargochromis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 ...

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 ...

s native to freshwater habitats in

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

, where found in the upper and middle

Zambezi The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...

basin, Okavango delta, Cunene basin,

Cuvelai Cuvelai is a town and municipality in Cunene Province in Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , rel ...

basin and southeastern

Congo Basin The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...

. They are typically known as happies (a name also used for some other haplocromines) or smallmouths. The latter name refers to their small mouth compared to their close relatives, the largemouths of the genus ''

Serranochromis ''Serranochromis'' is a genus of relatively large, robust cichlids from freshwater habitats in mainland Southern Africa, ranging as far north as DR Congo and Tanzania, with the highest species richness in the upper Zambezi, Okavango and Congo ...

''. Unlike the species in that genus which mostly feed on other fish, ''Sargochromis'' mostly feed on invertebrates (especially molluscs and aquatic insects), but in some species plant material (especially seeds) is important. On occasion they will also eat small fish, and the stomachs of ''S. carlottae'' and ''S. codringtonii'' commonly contain fish scales, but whether these are already-lost scales that are picked off the bottom or they are actively bumped off large fish is unknown. Some of the species that feed heavily on aquatic snails have been used for

biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

. ''Sargochromis'' are mouthbrooders. Depending on the exact species, they reach a maximum total length of . ''Sargochromis'' support important local fisheries, and some are also considered game fish. Although a few species have quite small distributions, they generally remain fairly common overall. All ''Sargochromis'' species are considered

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

(not threatened) by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

, except the relatively poorly known ''S. thysi'', which is considered

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

(available information is insufficient for determining its conservation status).

Species and taxonomy

There are currently eight recognized species in this genus: * '' Sargochromis carlottae'' (

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858–1 ...

, 1905) (Rainbow Happy) * '' Sargochromis codringtonii'' (

, 1908) (Green Happy) * '' Sargochromis coulteri'' ( Bell-Cross, 1975) (Cunene Happy) * '' Sargochromis giardi'' ( Pellegrin, 1903) (Pink Happy) * '' Sargochromis greenwoodi'' ( Bell-Cross, 1975) (Greenwood's Happy) * '' Sargochromis mellandi'' (

, 1905) (Snaileater) * '' Sargochromis mortimeri'' ( Bell-Cross, 1975) (Mortimer's Happy) * '' Sargochromis thysi'' ( Poll, 1967) A few other, possibly undescribed species are known. In the past, ''Sargochromis'' was considered a subgenus of ''

'', but today it is generally recognized as a separate genus. These genera, along with '' Chetia'', ''

Pharyngochromis ''Pharyngochromis'' is a genus of cichlids native to Southern Africa where they are only known from the Zambezi, Okavango, Save–Runde and Kunene basins. There are two species, which reach up to in total length, respectively. Species and ta ...

'' and others, form a group sometimes known as the serranochromines or Serranochromini. How many other genera that are included varies, with some defining the group relatively narrowly and others broadly. Genetic evidence indicates that several genera in this group, including ''Sargochromis'', are not

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

References

Haplochromini Cichlid genera Taxa named by Charles Tate Regan {{Cichlidae-stub