''Stomatepia'' is a genus of

cichlids Cichlids are fish from the family (biology), 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 c ...

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 ...

Lake Barombi Mbo Lake Barombi Mbo or Barombi-ma-Mbu is a lake near Kumba in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. It is located in the Cameroon volcanic chain, and is the largest volcanic lake in this region. It is one of the oldest radiocarbon-dated lakes in Afri ...

in western

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. Although generally recognized as distinct, the genus is very close to ''

Sarotherodon ''Sarotherodon'' is a genus of oreochromine cichlids that are native to the northern half of Africa (south as far as the Congo River basin), with a single species, ''S. galilaeus'', also ranging into the Levant. A couple of species from this gen ...

''. The ''Stomatepia'' species are all recognized as critically endangered 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 ...

because of

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

and

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...

due to human activities. They are potentially also threatened by large emissions of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

(CO₂) from the lake's bottom (compare

Lake Nyos Lake Nyos ( ) is a crater lake in the Region of Cameroon, located about northwest of Yaoundé, the capital. Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity ...

), although studies indicate that Barombo Mbo lacks excess amounts of this gas. '' Konia'', ''

Myaka The myaka (''Myaka myaka'') is a critically endangered species of cichlid endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo in western Cameroon. It prefers open, deeper waters where it feeds on phytoplankton and small insects, only venturing into shallower waters to ...

'' and ''

Pungu The pungu (''Pungu maclareni'') is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo in Cameroon where it prefers shallow waters of about in depth. It feeds on invertebrates, sponges, diatoms and macrophytes. This species can reach a length of ...

'' are three other equally threatened genera of ciclids that also are endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo.

Species

There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * ''

Stomatepia mariae The nsess (''Stomatepia mariae'') is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo in western Cameroon. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. It is critically endangered because of pollution and sedimentation due to human activities. It ...

'' (

Holly ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

, 1930) (Nsess) * ''

Stomatepia mongo ''Stomatepia mongo'', the mongo, is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo in western Cameroon. It can reach a length of SL. This species is seriously threatened by pollution and sedimentation due to human activities. It is potentiall ...

'' Trewavas, 1972 (Mongo) * ''

Stomatepia pindu The pindu (''Stomatepia pindu'') is a critically endangered species of cichlid endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo in western Cameroon. Description The normal coloration of the pindu is solid black, lightening when breeding and even more so if stressed ...

'' Trewavas, 1972 (Pindu)

References

Endemic fauna of Cameroon Oreochromini Cichlid fish of Africa * Freshwater fish genera Cichlid genera Taxa named by Ethelwynn Trewavas Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{tilapiini-stub