''Pelvicachromis'' is a genus of small (), brightly coloured

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 th ...

s from tropical

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Co ...

. They typically inhabit soft, acidic water ( pH 5.6 – 6.9). All species form monogamous pairs and use caves as spawning sites. Most are easily spawned in captivity with adequate water quality.

Species

There are currently 11 recognized species in this genus: * '' Pelvicachromis drachenfelsi'' Lamboj,

Bartel Bartel may refer to: *Bartel, one of the companions of Saint Nicholas Given name * Bartel J. Jonkman (1884–1955), U.S. politician * Bartel Leendert van der Waerden (1903–1996), Dutch mathematician Surname *Beate Bartel, a member of the Germa ...

& dell’Ampio, 2014 * '' Pelvicachromis humilis''

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– ...

, 1916 * '' Pelvicachromis kribensis''

, 1911 * ''

Pelvicachromis pulcher ''Pelvicachromis pulcher'' is a Fresh water, freshwater fish of the cichlid family, endemic to Nigeria and Cameroon. It is popular amongst aquarium hobbyists, and is most commonly sold under the name Paralabidochromis, kribensis, although it has ...

, 1901 (Rainbow Kribensis) * '' Pelvicachromis roloffi'' Thys van den Audenaerde, 1968 * '' Pelvicachromis rubrolabiatus'' Lamboj, 2004 * '' Pelvicachromis sacrimontis'' Paulo, 1977 (Often mislabelled as ''P. pulcher'') * '' Pelvicachromis signatus'' Lamboj, 2004 * '' Pelvicachromis silviae'' Lamboj, 2013 * '' Pelvicachromis subocellatus'' Günther, 1872 * ''

Pelvicachromis taeniatus ''Pelvicachromis taeniatus'' is a species of cichlid from Benin and Nigeria that is occasionally kept as an aquarium fish. It is native to the soft-water rivers. This species can reach a length of SL. It is known to exist in a variety of geog ...

, 1901

Natural Environment

''Pelvicachromis'' species inhabit both slow and fast-moving waters in the wild but are only found present in these Central & West African watercourses near to dense underwater vegetation. The water in ''Pelvicachromis'' natural environment usually stays around 75° to 79 °F (24° to 26 °C). All described species in the genus have evolved with adaptability at the fore; water quality parameters can vary drastically within this dwarf-cichlids natural range. A species inhabiting different environments and arbitrary alterations must be able to cope with diverse habitats.

In the aquarium

''Pelvicachromis'' comprise part of the arbitrary group aquarists refer to as "

dwarf cichlid Dwarf cichlid is a term used by fishkeeping hobbyists to describe an arbitrary assemblage of small-sized fish from the family Cichlidae. Although the grouping is widely used in the aquarium industry and hobby, the grouping has no taxonomic ...

s". They are relatively peaceful cichlids which can be housed with other species in planted, heated tanks. ''Pelvicachromis'' are cave-spawners and will lay their eggs in any cave-like structure such as a clay pot, PVC pipe, coconut shell, etc. The female will initiate the spawning, often displaying or vibrating in front of the male. The female will deposit 50–300 eggs in the cave and the pair will guard the eggs. The eggs hatch in 3–8 days and become free swimming in 5–10 days. There are yellow, blue, red morphological variations found in the

tropical fish Tropical fish are generally those fish found in aquatic tropical environments around the world. Fishkeepers often keep tropical fish in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The term "tropical fish" is not a taxonomic group, but rather is a ge ...

hobby; these morphs are a product of natural local population variation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134263 Chromidotilapiini Cichlid genera