The pungu (''Pungu maclareni'') 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 Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted th ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

where it prefers shallow waters of about in depth. It feeds on invertebrates,

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throu ...

diatom A diatom ( Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group comprising se ...

s and macrophytes. This species can reach a length of SL. It is currently the only known member of its

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 ...

, nested within the ''

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 g ...

''.Martin; Cutler; Friel; Touokong; Coop; and Wainwright (2015). Complex histories of repeated gene flow in Cameroon crater lake cichlids cast doubt on one of the clearest examples of sympatric speciation. Evolution 69-6: 1406–1422. The pungu is threatened 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, th ...

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 ...

from human activities. '' Konia'', '' Myaka'' and '' Stomatepia'' are three other equally threatened genera of cichlids that also are endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo. The specific name of this fish honours the Fisheries Development Officer of Nigeria, P.I.R. MacLaren (died 1957), who used his position to collect specimens of fishes, including the type of this species. The genus name honors common name of this fish used by the Barombi people ("pungu").

References

Endemic fauna of Cameroon Oreochromini Cichlid fish of Africa Fish of Lake Barombi Mbo Monotypic freshwater fish genera Fish described in 1962 Cichlid genera Taxa named by Ethelwynn Trewavas Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Tilapiini-stub