Eggspots Elsewhere - Welt der Fische / World of Fishes

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On the other hand, other authors recognise morphological indicators that speak against any splitting into separate genera related to Astatotilapia. Thus WITTE & WITTE-MAAS (1987) had previously discovered, from material used by GREENWOOD & GEE (1969) for their descriptions, that the transition between Yssichromis and Astatotilapia is fluid. SNOEKS (1994) found intermediate species from Lake Kivu such that there was no longer any clear separation between Astatotilapia and Gaurochromis. All in all, Astatotilapia is an example of why authors such as VAN OIJEN (1996) have recommended that all haplochromine species from the Lake Victoria basin should for the time being be left in the genus Haplochromis. This recommendation has long since been adopted for other haplochromines (with exceptions such as the so-called Malawi Haplochromis) by CLOFFA and well-known online databanks such as the Catalog of Fishes and FishBase. However, recently the name Astatotilapia has again been used in these online databanks. Because, in the absence of a newer and more precise diagnosis for this genus, it is difficult to determine what actually constitutes Astatotilapia and what does not, I would like to make a personal plea for the continued use of Haplochromis for the time being. In the subsequent course of this article I will, nevertheless, use the genus names that the authors in question have regarded as correct in the works cited. Even if I had decided to do otherwise, a certain amount of confusion in this regard would still have been inevitable. A recent genetic, albeit only mitochondrial, study by GENNER & HAESLER (2010) finds that from a phylogenetic viewpoint A. desfontainesi belongs to the modern haplochromines of the mainly East-African/Nilotic lineage. It is thus relatively similar to A. flaviijosephi from the Levant, but also to A. burtoni from Lake Tanganyika. On this basis it belongs to a relatively old and apparently monophyletic lineage. LIPPITSCH (1990) describes the structure of a flank scale in A. burtoni (as type 10), a typical Astatotilapia. According to her granulation is visible over the entire exposed part and totally obscures the ring structure. It consists of blunt grains or tubercles which are often wart-like. Ctenii are visible only at the very edge, if at all, and are rather small. Haplochromis desfontainesi Haplochromis desfontainesi is known only from Tunisia and Algeria. It is regarded as a relict in permanent waters in the basin of the former Chott Right: Flank scale of H. desfontainesi. As LIPPITSCH describes for type 10, the circuli on the exposed part of the scale are totally obscured by granulation and ctenii are present only at the extreme edge. 14 SCHRAML: Comparison of North African species
Details of a flank scale of H. desfontainesi: left the small number of ctenii and right the radii. eggspots No. 4 Above: Scale size alters only gradually during the transition from flank to breast. Left: In some specimens of H. desfontainesi the first scale of the lower lateral line (F) is sited anterior to the last scale (L) of the upper lateral line. 15
Page 1 and 2: In search of haplochromines in Egyp
Page 3 and 4: Editorial In this issue of eggspots
Page 5 and 6: The story behind my trip to Egypt w
Page 7 and 8: Everywhere in Egypt we encountered
Page 9 and 10: The easiest place to find these fis
Page 11 and 12: Two females of Haplochromis sp. “
Page 13: Threatening male Haplochromis desfo
Page 17 and 18: section doesn’t continue from a p
Page 19 and 20: Above: First gill arch of H. flavii
Page 21 and 22: Above: The teeth have been exposed
Page 23 and 24: investigate whether the change in t
Page 25 and 26: One of the German terms for cichlid
Page 27 and 28: Katonga is the name of a river in U
Page 29 and 30: Anyone who has had anything to do w
Page 31 and 32: Dissolved through lack of interest!
Page 33 and 34: In February 2006 I finally again sa
Page 35 and 36: enqui ries as to the provenance of
Page 37 and 38: second, as well as the holotype of
Page 39 and 40: In an earlier issue of eggspots (no
Page 41 and 42: of “differentiate” would render
Page 43 and 44: KULLANDER (1999): laudably - and ra
Page 45 and 46: scientific journals and some peer-r
Page 47 and 48: 19 (3) 2010: - VAN HEUSDEN, H.: Ort

Eggspots Elsewhere - Welt der Fische / World of Fishes

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