''Oxylapia'' is a genus of freshwater fish in the family

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 contains the single species ''Oxylapia polli'', known locally as the songatana. It is an

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

species,

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 ...

to the Marolambo Rapids in the Nosivolo River (a tributary of the

Mangoro River The Mangoro River is the largest river on the east coast of Madagascar by basin size and water volume, and is 300 km in length. Overview The Mangoro begins northeast of the town of Anjozorobe in the Analamanga region, at approximately 1 ...

) in east-central

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 Afric ...

. It 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

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 ...

caused by

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

. The only other monotypic cichlid genus in Madagascar is ''

Katria ''Katria'' is a genus of freshwater fish in the cichlid family. It contains the single species ''Katria katria'', a vulnerable species from the Mangoro and Nosivolo Rivers in east-central Madagascar, that was formerly included in the genus '' ...

'', and it is restricted to the same region as ''Oxylapia''. In 2010, the Nosivolo River was designated as a

Ramsar Site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is a conservation organization with a mission to save species from extinction. Gerald Durrell founded the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust as a charitable institution in 1963 with the dodo as its symbol. Th ...

(20 September 2010).
Nosivolo is designated as Madagascar's first riverine Ramsar site.
' Accessed 14 July 2011 The ''Oxylapia'' is the conservation

flagship species In conservation biology, a flagship species is a species chosen to raise support for biodiversity conservation in a given place or social context. Definitions have varied, but they have tended to focus on the strategic goals and the socio-economi ...

for the district capital

Marolambo Marolambo is a village and commune (kaominina) located in the Atsinanana region of eastern Madagascar. It is along the Nosivolo River near the junction with the Sandranamby River, and is also the capital of the Marolambo District. Overview ...

. ''Oxylapia'' is a highly aggressive, elongate species that reaches about in length.de Rham, P. (1996).
Oxylapia polli, the enigmatic cichlid of the Nosivolo River.
' Accessed 14 July 2011 It is the Malagasy cichlid most adapted to

rheophilic 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 ...

conditions, but not the only (members of the lamena group in the genus '' Paretroplus'' are also rheophilic). Its specific name honours

Max Poll Max Fernand Leon Poll (21 July 1908 in Ruisbroek – 13 March 1991 in Uccle) was a Belgian ichthyologist who specialised in the Cichlidae. In the years 1946 and 1947 he organised an expedition to Lake Tanganyika. He has described several specie ...

(1908-1991), a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish ( Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish ( Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of O ...

for his research into African cichlids and for the guidance he gave to the

authors An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

References

Freshwater fish of Madagascar Fish described in 1966 Monotypic freshwater fish genera Cichlid genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Cichlidae-stub