The Pseudocrenilabrinae are a subfamily in the cichlid family of fishes to which, according to a study from 2004, includes all the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

ern and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n cichlids with the exception of the unusual '' Heterochromis multidens'' and the Malagasy species. This subfamily includes more than 1,100 species. Previous authors recognized additional African subfamilies, e.g. the Tilapiinae of Hoedeman (1947), Tylochrominae of

Poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Figurative head counts * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling places o ...

(1986), or Boulengerochrominae of Tawil (2001). To this subfamily belong the cichlids from the

African Great Lakes The African Great Lakes ( sw, Maziwa Makuu; rw, Ibiyaga bigari) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. They include Lake Victoria, the second-largest fresh water lake in th ...

, such as the utaka and mbuna in

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 fr ...

, and various species from Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. The Pseudocrenilabrinae

tribes 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 confli ...

Haplochromini and

Oreochromini Oreochromini is a tribe of cichlids in the Pseudocrenilabrinae subfamily that is native to Africa and Western Asia, but a few species have been widely introduced to other parts of the world. It was formerly considered to be part of the tribe T ...

are widespread in Africa and also found in the Middle East, while Chromidotilapiini, Hemichromini and Tylochromini are primarily West and Central African. The remaining tribes are largely or entirely restricted to Lake Tanganyika.

Systematics

Apart from the tribes mentioned in the adjacent box,

Bathybatini Bathybatini is a tribe of cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. They are mostly found in relatively deep waters and mainly feed on fish (''Bathybates'' and ''Hemibates'') or plankton (''Trematocara'').Smith, M.P. (1998). Lake Tanganyikan ...

, Benthochromini, Boulengerochromini, Coelotilapiini, Coptodonini, Cyphotilapiini,

Eretmodini Eretmodini is a tribe of African cichlids. It contains five species of freshwater fish endemic to Lake Tanganyika. They are small fish with reduced swim bladders that are found near the bottom in the turbulent, coastal surf zone.Smith, M.P. (1998 ...

, Etiini,

Greenwoodochromini ''Greenwoodochromis'' is a small genus of cichlid fish that are endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. It is the only genus in the monotypic tribe Greenwoodochromini, however, some authorities have synonymised the Greenwoodochromini with the trib ...

, Heterotilapiini, Limnochromini,

, Pelmatolapiini, Perissodini, Steatocranini and

Trematocarini ''Trematocara'' is a genus of cichlids endemism, endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. They are relatively small, up to long, and slender in shape.Smith, M.P. (1998). Lake Tanganyikan Cichlids, p. 9. These Shoaling and schooling, schooling, Pho ...

are sometimes also recognized.Dunz; and Schliewen (2013). Molecular phylogeny and revised classification of the haplotilapiine cichlid fishes formerly referred to as Tilapia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68: 64-80. The extinct genus '' Mahengechromis'' is apparently quite singular Pseudocrenilabrinae, distinct from any of the established tribes.

Genera

The subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae has been arranged as follows by some authorities

Systematics

Genera

References

Further reading