''Haplochromis'' is a

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Cichlidae 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 ...

. It has been used as the default " wastebin taxon" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids of the East African Rift, and as such became the "largest"

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

"genus". Many of these cichlids are popular

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

fishes; like similar Haplochromini they are known as "haplos", "happies" or "haps" among aquarium enthusiasts. The genus was established by F.M. Hilgendorf in 1888. It was originally conceived as a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between ...

of A.C.L.G. Günther's ''"Chromis"'', at that time an even larger "wastebin genus" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specim ...

of Hilgendorf was '' H. obliquidens''. ''"Chromis"'' of Günther turned out to be a junior homonym of G. Cuvier's

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wor ...

fish genus '' Chromis'', already established in 1814, and was abolished. As the years went by, other genera of (mostly) Haplochromini were lumped with and split again from ''Haplochromis'', and the final delimitation of the

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 ter ...

around ''H. obliquidens'' is not yet done.

Extinction crisis in Lake Victoria

The introduction of Nile perch (''Lates niloticus'') to

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...

after 1954 severely upset the lake's

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

. By the late 1970s, the perch's

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

was approaching

carrying capacity The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available. The carrying capacity is defined as ...

, and the smaller cichlids were fair game for the huge carnivorous ''Lates'', the Nile tilapia (''Oreochromis niloticus''), an adaptable generalist, was also introduced and competed with the often specialized

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 else ...

cichlids of the lake for food and other resources. When the Nile perch stocks finally declined again in the late 1980s, an estimated 200 Haplochromini

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 appropriat ...

(mostly ''Haplochromis'') may have become

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

– many of these had only been scientifically described a few years before their demise, and additional ones were only known or suspected to exist, but never properly studied or described. While the stocks of those species that survived are in many cases recovering, the lake ecosystem has changed irrevocably. The entire trophic web has been observed to be upset. But still,

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

runs its course: those Lake Victoria ''Haplochromis'' species that still exist are in many cases adapting to new food sources, and in time, speciation is likely to set in and produce a new

adaptive radiation In evolutionary biology, adaptive radiation is a process in which organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, alters biotic in ...

of these fishes. Until then, however, the ecological balance of the lake is still on the brink, and many of the cichlids that survived the peak population of ''Lates'' are still critically endangered and close to extinction.

Systematics and taxonomy

''Haplochromis'' is the type genus of the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

Haplochromini. Most of the tribe's members were at one time or another included in the present genus, but in many cases this was only temporary. Around the year 1900, as well 100 years later, the trend was to split up the genus; especially in the mid-20th century, on the other hand, most authors lumped any and all Haplochromini that were not conspicuously distinct in the type genus.FishBase 009b/ref> While a number of

African Rift Valley The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. In the past it was considered to be part of ...

cichlids are certainly very close relatives of '' H. obliquidens'', the type species of the present genus, it is not very clear where to draw the boundary of ''Haplochromis'' with regard to its relatives. Still, several genera are now recognized as distinct by many authors and scientific databases, such as

FishBase FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

(see

below Below may refer to: *Earth * Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) *Less than *Temperatures below freezing *Hell or underworld People with the surname *Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general *Fred Below ...

); in particular the Haplochromini from

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. T ...

and

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest f ...

are usually removed from ''Haplochromis''. The genus delimitation in the entire tribe remains badly resolved, however, and further changes in taxonomy are likely in the future. In particular, between ''Haplochromis'', ''

Astatotilapia ''Astatotilapia'' is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Cichlidae found in Eastern and Northern Africa, with a single species, ''A. flaviijosephi'', in Western Asia (the only non-African haplochromine). Many species have been moved be ...

'' and '' Thoracochromis'', species have been moved to and from over the years. The habit of Pseudocrenilabrinae to hybridize is hampering molecular phylogenetic studies based on mtDNA alone, while trophic morphs of a single species may appear to be distinct "species" if they are not phylogenetically studied. Several proposed genera are again included in ''Haplochromis'' at present, but it cannot be ruled out that some of these will eventually be recognized as valid again.

Species

There are currently 229 recognized species in this genus: * '' Haplochromis acidens'' Greenwood, 1967 * '' Haplochromis adolphifrederici''

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– ...

, 1914 * '' Haplochromis aelocephalus'' Greenwood, 1959 * '' Haplochromis aeneocolor'' Greenwood, 1973 * '' Haplochromis akika'' Lippitsch, 2003 * '' Haplochromis albertianus''

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, 1929 * '' Haplochromis altigenis''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis ampullarostratus'' Schraml, 2004 * '' Haplochromis angustifrons''

, 1914 * '' Haplochromis annectidens'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis antleter'' Mietes & F. Witte, 2010 * '' Haplochromis apogonoides'' Greenwood, 1967 * '' Haplochromis arcanus'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * ''

Haplochromis argens ''Haplochromis argens'' is a species of haplochromine cichlid endemic to Lake Victoria where it is only known from the Tanzanian portion. This species reaches a length of SL. It feeds on zooplankton. References argens The Argens (; oc, ...

'' de Zeeuw,

Westbroek Westbroek is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Bilt, and lies about 6 km northwest of Bilthoven. Westbroek consists mainly of a ribbon of farms along a dike. The village is surrounded by a ...

& F. Witte, 2013 * '' Haplochromis argenteus''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis artaxerxes'' Greenwood, 1962 * '' Haplochromis astatodon''

, 1921 * '' Haplochromis avium''

, 1929 * '' Haplochromis azureus'' Seehausen & Lippitsch, 1998 * '' Haplochromis barbarae'' Greenwood, 1967 * '' Haplochromis bareli'' van Oijen, 1991 * '' Haplochromis bartoni'' Greenwood, 1962 * '' Haplochromis bayoni''

, 1909 * '' Haplochromis beadlei'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis bicolor''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis boops'' Greenwood, 1967 * '' Haplochromis brownae'' Greenwood, 1962 * '' Haplochromis bullatus'' Trewavas, 1938 * '' Haplochromis bwathondii'' Niemantsverdriet & F. Witte, 2010 * '' Haplochromis cassius'' Greenwood & Barel, 1978 * '' Haplochromis cavifrons'' Hilgendorf, 1888 * '' Haplochromis chilotes''

, 1911 * '' Haplochromis chlorochrous'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis chromogynos'' Greenwood, 1959 * '' Haplochromis chrysogynaion'' van Oijen, 1991 * '' Haplochromis cinctus'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * ''

Haplochromis cinereus ''Haplochromis'' is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cichlidae. It has been used as the default " wastebin taxon" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids of the East African Rift, and as such became the "largest" fish "genus". Many of these c ...

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis cnester'' F. Witte & Witte-Maas, 1981 * '' Haplochromis commutabilis'' Schraml, 2004 (Kachira blue) * '' Haplochromis coprologus'' Niemantsverdriet & F. Witte, 2010 * '' Haplochromis crassilabris''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis crebridens'' Snoeks, De Vos, Coenen & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1990 * '' Haplochromis crocopeplus'' Greenwood & Barel, 1978 * '' Haplochromis cronus'' Greenwood, 1959 * '' Haplochromis cryptodon'' Greenwood, 1959 * '' Haplochromis cryptogramma'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis cyaneus'' Seehausen, Bouton & Zwennes, 1998 * '' Haplochromis decticostoma'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis degeni''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis dentex''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis dichrourus''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis diplotaenia''

& Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis dolichorhynchus'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis dolorosus'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis eduardianus''

, 1914 * '' Haplochromis eduardii''

, 1921 * '' Haplochromis elegans'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis empodisma'' Greenwood, 1960 * '' Haplochromis engystoma'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis erythrocephalus'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis erythromaculatus'' De Vos, Snoeks & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1991 * '' Haplochromis estor''

, 1929 * '' Haplochromis eutaenia''

& Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis exspectatus'' Schraml, 2004 * '' Haplochromis fischeri'' Seegers, 2008 * '' Haplochromis flavipinnis''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis flavus'' Seehausen, Zwennes & Lippitsch, 1998 * '' Haplochromis fuelleborni'' Hilgendorf &

Pappenheim Pappenheim is a town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl, 11 km south of Weißenburg in Bayern. History Historically, Pappenheim was a statelet within Holy Roman Empire. I ...

, 1903 (Fuelleborn's mouthbrooder) * '' Haplochromis fuscus''

, 1925 * '' Haplochromis fusiformis'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis gigas'' Seehausen & Lippitsch, 1998 * '' Haplochromis gigliolii''

Pfeffer Pfeffer is a German surname meaning " pepper" and may refer to: * Anna Pfeffer (born 1946), Hungarian Olympic medalist sprint canoer * Anshel Pfeffer, British journalist * Anton Pfeffer (born 1965), Austrian footballer * Big Jeff Pfeffer (1882� ...

, 1896 * '' Haplochromis gilberti'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis goldschmidti'' F. Witte,

& de Zeeuw, 2013 * ''

Haplochromis gowersii ''Haplochromis gowersii'' is a species of cichlid endemism, endemic to Lake Victoria. This species can reach a length of fish measurement, SL. The Specific name (zoology), specific name of this taxon honours the former Governor of Uganda Willia ...

'' Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis gracilior''

, 1914 (Torpedostripe haplochromis) * '' Haplochromis granti''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis graueri''

, 1914 * '' Haplochromis greenwoodi'' Seehausen & Bouton, 1998 * '' Haplochromis guiarti'' Pellegrin, 1904 * '' Haplochromis harpakteridion'' van Oijen, 1991 * '' Haplochromis heusinkveldi'' F. Wittee & Witte-Maas, 1987 * '' Haplochromis hiatus'' Hoogerhoud & F. Witte, 1981 * '' Haplochromis howesi'' van Oijen, 1992 * '' Haplochromis humilior''

, 1911 * '' Haplochromis humilis''

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1866 * '' Haplochromis igneopinnis'' Seehausen & Lippitsch, 1998 * '' Haplochromis insidiae'' Snoeks, 1994 * '' Haplochromis iris'' Hoogerhoud & F. Witte, 1981 * '' Haplochromis ishmaeli''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis kamiranzovu'' Snoeks, Coenen & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1984 * '' Haplochromis katavi'' Seegers, 1996 (Katavi mouthbrooder) * '' Haplochromis katonga'' Schraml & Tichy, 2010 * '' Haplochromis katunzii'' ter Huurne & F. Witte, 2010 * '' Haplochromis kujunjui'' van Oijen, 1991 * '' Haplochromis labiatus'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis labriformis'' Nichols & La Monte, 1938 * '' Haplochromis lacrimosus''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis laparogramma'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis latifasciatus''

, 1929 * '' Haplochromis limax'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis lividus'' Greenwood, 1956 * ''

Haplochromis loati ''Haplochromis'' is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cichlidae. It has been used as the default " wastebin taxon" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids of the East African Rift, and as such became the "largest" fish "genus". Many of these c ...

'' Greenwood, 1971 * '' Haplochromis longirostris'' Hilgendorf, 1888 * '' Haplochromis luteus'' Seehausen & Bouton, 1998 * '' Haplochromis macconneli'' Greenwood, 1974 * '' Haplochromis macrocephalus'' Seehausen & Bouton, 1998 * '' Haplochromis macrognathus''

, 1922 * ''

Haplochromis macrops ''Haplochromis'' is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cichlidae. It has been used as the default " wastebin taxon" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids of the East African Rift, and as such became the "largest" fish "genus". Many of these c ...

, 1911 * '' Haplochromis macropsoides'' Greenwood, 1973 * '' Haplochromis maculipinna'' Pellegrin, 1913 * '' Haplochromis mahagiensis'' L. R. David & Poll, 1937 * '' Haplochromis maisomei'' van Oijen, 1991 * '' Haplochromis malacophagus'' Poll & Damas, 1939 * '' Haplochromis mandibularis'' Greenwood, 1962 * '' Haplochromis martini''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis maxillaris'' Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis mbipi'' Lippitsch & Bouton, 1998 * '' Haplochromis megalops'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis melanopterus'' Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis melanopus''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis melichrous'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis mentatus''

, 1925 * '' Haplochromis mento''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis michaeli'' Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis microchrysomelas'' Snoeks, 1994 * '' Haplochromis microdon''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis multiocellatus''

, 1913 * '' Haplochromis mylergates'' Greenwood & Barel, 1978 * '' Haplochromis mylodon'' Greenwood, 1973 * '' Haplochromis nanoserranus'' Greenwood & Barel, 1978 * '' Haplochromis nigrescens'' Pellegrin, 1909 * '' Haplochromis nigricans''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis nigripinnis''

, 1921 * '' Haplochromis nigroides'' Pellegrin, 1928 * '' Haplochromis niloticus'' Greenwood, 1960 * ''

Haplochromis nubilus ''Haplochromis nubilus'', the blue Victoria mouthbrooder, is a species of cichlid found in the Lake Victoria system in East Africa. It inhabits shallow areas near shores. This species can reach a standard length of . It is omnivorous and feeds o ...

, 1906 (Blue Victoria mouthbrooder) * '' Haplochromis nuchisquamulatus'' Hilgendorf, 1888 * '' Haplochromis nyanzae'' Greenwood, 1962 * ''

Haplochromis nyererei ''Haplochromis nyererei'' is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Victoria in Africa. This species can reach a length of SL. The specific name honours Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a ...

'' Witte-Maas & F. Witte, 1985 * '' Haplochromis obesus''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis obliquidens'' Hilgendorf, 1888 * '' Haplochromis obtusidens'' Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis occultidens'' Snoeks, 1988 * '' Haplochromis oligolepis'' Lippitsch, 2003 * '' Haplochromis olivaceus'' Snoeks, De Vos, Coenen & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1990 * '' Haplochromis omnicaeruleus'' Seehausen & Bouton, 1998 * '' Haplochromis oregosoma'' Greenwood, 1973 * '' Haplochromis orthostoma''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis pachycephalus'' Greenwood, 1967 * '' Haplochromis pallidus''

, 1911 * '' Haplochromis pancitrinus'' Mietes & F. Witte, 2010 * '' Haplochromis pappenheimi''

, 1914 * '' Haplochromis paradoxus'' Lippitsch &

Kaufman Kaufman or Kauffman may refer to: People *Kaufmann (surname) ''Includes Kaufman, Kauffman, Kauffmann'' Places * Kaufman, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Madison Count * Kaufman, Texas, a city in Kaufman County * Kaufman County, Texas, ...

, 2003 * '' Haplochromis paraguiarti'' Greenwood, 1967 * '' Haplochromis paraplagiostoma'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis paropius'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis parorthostoma'' Greenwood, 1967 * '' Haplochromis parvidens''

, 1911 * '' Haplochromis paucidens''

, 1921 * '' Haplochromis pellegrini''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis percoides''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis perrieri'' Pellegrin, 1909 * '' Haplochromis petronius'' Greenwood, 1973 * '' Haplochromis pharyngalis'' Poll & Damas, 1939 * '' Haplochromis pharyngomylus''

, 1929 * ''

Haplochromis phytophagus ''Haplochromis phytophagus'' 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 Pe ...

'' Greenwood, 1966 * ''

Haplochromis piceatus ''Haplochromis piceatus'' is a species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Victoria in East Africa. Although listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, surveys since 2005 have failed to find it in its home lake and it is possibly extinct in the wild. Capt ...

'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis pitmani'' Fowler, 1936 * '' Haplochromis placodus'' Poll & Damas, 1939 * '' Haplochromis plagiodon''

& Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis plagiostoma''

, 1911 * '' Haplochromis rubescens'' Snoeks, 1994 * '' Haplochromis rubripinnis'' Seehausen, Lippitsch & Bouton, 1998 * '' Haplochromis rudolfianus'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis rufocaudalis'' Seehausen & Bouton, 1998 * '' Haplochromis rufus'' Seehausen & Lippitsch, 1998 * '' Haplochromis sauvagei''

, 1896 * '' Haplochromis saxicola'' Greenwood, 1960 * '' Haplochromis scheffersi'' Snoeks, De Vos & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1987 * '' Haplochromis schubotzi''

, 1914 * '' Haplochromis schubotziellus'' Greenwood, 1973 * '' Haplochromis serranus''

, 1896 * '' Haplochromis serridens''

, 1925 * '' Haplochromis simotes''

, 1911 * '' Haplochromis simpsoni'' Greenwood, 1965 * '' Haplochromis smithii'' Castelnau, 1861 * '' Haplochromis snoeksi'' Wamuini Lunkayilakio & Vreven, 2010 * '' Haplochromis spekii''

, 1906 * '' Haplochromis sphex'' ter Huurne & F. Witte, 2010 * '' Haplochromis squamipinnis''

, 1921 * '' Haplochromis squamulatus''

, 1922 * '' Haplochromis sulphureus'' Greenwood & Barel, 1978 * '' Haplochromis tanaos'' van Oijen & F. Witte, 1996 * '' Haplochromis taurinus'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis teegelaari'' Greenwood & Barel, 1978 * '' Haplochromis teunisrasi'' F. Witte & Witte-Maas, 1981 * '' Haplochromis theliodon'' Greenwood, 1960 * '' Haplochromis thereuterion'' van Oijen & F. Witte, 1996 * '' Haplochromis thuragnathus'' Greenwood, 1967 * '' Haplochromis tridens''

& Trewavas, 1928 * '' Haplochromis turkanae'' Greenwood, 1974 (Turkana haplo) * '' Haplochromis tyrianthinus'' Greenwood & Gee, 1969 * '' Haplochromis ushindi'' van Oijen, 2004 * '' Haplochromis vanheusdeni'' F. D. B. Schedel, Friel & U. K. Schliewen, 2014 * '' Haplochromis vanoijeni'' de Zeeuw & F. Witte, 2010 * ''

Haplochromis velifer ''Haplochromis velifer'' is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Nabugabo, Uganda. This species reaches a length of SL. References velifer ''Velifer hypselopterus'', the sailfin velifer, is an Indo-Pacific velifer. This species grow ...

'' Trewavas, 1933 * ''

Haplochromis venator ''Haplochromis venator'' is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Nabugabo in Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republ ...

'' Greenwood, 1965 * '' Haplochromis vicarius'' Trewavas, 1933 * '' Haplochromis victoriae'' Greenwood, 1956 * '' Haplochromis victorianus'' Pellegrin, 1904 * '' Haplochromis vittatus''

, 1901 * '' Haplochromis vonlinnei'' van Oijen & de Zeeuw, 2008 * '' Haplochromis welcommei'' Greenwood, 1966 * '' Haplochromis worthingtoni''

, 1929 * '' Haplochromis xanthopteryx'' Seehausen & Bouton, 1998 * '' Haplochromis xenognathus'' Greenwood, 1957 * '' Haplochromis xenostoma''

, 1922

Undescribed species

These populations are typically referred to by the names they have in the

fish trade. A number of them are likely to represent undescribed distinct species; others might just be

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...

Formerly in ''Haplochromis''

Among other genera of Haplochromini that were formerly included here, many are small or

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

. The distinctness of these is highly doubtful, as they may just be distinct lineages of ''Haplochromis'' or other haplochromines. That nonwithstanding, Haplochromini genera to which some former ''"Haplochromis"'' have been removed are in particular:Linke & Staeck (1994), FishBase 009b/ref> * '' Astatoreochromis'' (3 species) * ''

'' (8 described species) * ''

Aulonocara ''Aulonocara'' is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. All ''Aulonocara'' species are maternal mouth brooders. Particularly in the aquarium hobby, ''Aulonocara'' species are also known as peacock cichlids, a ...

'' (22 species) * '' Buccochromis'' (7 species) * '' Caprichromis'' (2 species) * '' Champsochromis'' (2 species) * '' Cheilochromis'' (monotypic) * '' Chetia'' (6 species) * ''

Copadichromis ''Copadichromis'' is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa. ''Copadichromis'' are part of a group known as utaka and are popular with aquarists, as this genus is relatively peaceful in captivity compared to th ...

'' (25 described species) * '' Ctenochromis'' (5 living and 1 extinct described species) * '' Ctenopharynx'' (3 species) * '' Cyrtocara'' (monotypic) * '' Dimidiochromis'' (4 species) * '' Eclectochromis'' (2 species) * '' Fossorochromis'' (monotypic) * '' Hemitaeniochromis'' (monotypic) * '' Lethrinops'' (24 species) * ''

Maylandia ''Maylandia'' or ''Metriaclima'' is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. They belong to the mbuna (rock-dwelling) haplochromines. All species in this genus are relatively small fishes, less than in length. Li ...

/Metriaclima'' (25 species) * '' Mchenga'' (6 species) * '' Melanochromis'' (27 species) * '' Mylochromis'' (21 species) * '' Naevochromis'' (monotypic) * '' Nimbochromis'' (5 species) * '' Nyassachromis'' (8 species) * '' Orthochromis'' (14 species) * '' Otopharynx'' (13 species) * '' Pharyngochromis'' (2 species) * '' Placidochromis'' (43 species) * '' Protomelas'' (15 species) * '' Pundamilia'' (4 species) * '' Pseudocrenilabrus'' (3 species) * '' Sargochromis'' (8 species) * '' Schwetzochromis'' (monotypic) * '' Sciaenochromis'' (4 species) * '' Stigmatochromis'' (4 species) * '' Taeniochromis'' (monotypic) * '' Taeniolethrinops'' (4 species) * '' Thoracochromis'' (12 species) * '' Tramitichromis'' (5 species) * '' Trematocranus'' (3 species) * '' Tyrannochromis'' (4 species) Some other Pseudocrenilabrinae were also – mainly by early authors – included in ''Haplochromis'', though they are not members of its

. These are: * ''

Anomalochromis thomasi ''Anomalochromis'' is a genus of fish in the family Cichlidae, containing the single species ''Anomalochromis thomasi'', the African butterfly cichlid. It is a small cichlid growing to a length of . The natural habitat of ''A. thomasi'' is Sierr ...

'' of the Hemichromini * '' Altolamprologus compressiceps'' of the Lamprologini * '' Tilapia jallae'' of the Tilapiini

Synonyms of ''Haplochromis''

With all the taxonomic and systematic confusion affecting ''Haplochromis'' and its allies, it is hardly surprising that the genus has a large number of

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linn ...

s. Most referred to small or monotypic genera that were once considered distinct, but are now included in ''Haplochromis'' again, if only to wait for a major review of their status. Synonyms are: * ''Allochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Cleptochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Enterochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Gaurochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Harpagochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Labrochromis'' Regan, 1920 * ''Lipochromis'' Regan, 1920 * ''Platytaeniodus'' Boulenger, 1906 * ''Prognathochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Ptyochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Psammochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Tridontochromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Xystichromis'' Greenwood, 1980 * ''Yssichromis'' Greenwood, 1980 Sometimes other genera listed above are also synonymized.

Footnotes

References

* 009abr>Valid ''Haplochromis'' species
Retrieved 2009-OCT-03. * 009bbr>''Haplochromis'' taxa
Retrieved 2009-OCT-03. * (2009):
2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
'. Version 2009.1. Retrieved 2009-SEP-20. * (2008): Dietary shift in benthivorous cichlids after the ecological changes in Lake Victoria. '' Anim. Biol.'' 58(4): 401-417. (HTML abstract) * (1994): ''African cichlids II: Cichlids from East Africa. A handbook for their identification, care and breeding.'' Tetra Press, Germany. * (2001): Classification and Phylogenetic Relationships of African Tilapiine Fishes Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Sequences. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 20(3): 361–374. {{Taxonbar, from=Q133344 Cichlid fish of Africa Cichlid genera Taxa named by Franz Martin Hilgendorf