Eggspots Elsewhere - Welt der Fische / World of Fishes

the second, so that the form of ventral fins often appears almost rounded, especially in
females.
The markings are very characteristic; they consist of a longitudinal band, around two scalerows
wide anteriorly, tapering to one scale-row wide on the caudal peduncle. The posterior
part (from around the level of the spinous part of the anal fin) is continuous, while on the
anterior body there are regular lighter areas, creating the impression of a row of spots.
Depending on mood, these spots can in turn become part of a pattern of crossbands, most
clearly seen in females during brood care. Dominant males almost always exhibit a dark
(lachrymal) stripe on the snout.
Males have a brownish base coloration, paling to yellowish on the flanks and white on the
underside. The scales on the upper half of the flank and on the caudal peduncle are metallic
bluish green, those on the mid-flank golden, and those on the belly light blue. The lower lip
is bright blue, a narrow stripe of the same colour extends along the lower margin of the
cheek to the preoperculum, and there are a number of additional irregular metallic blue
markings on the lower part of the operculum. The dorsal fin has a blackish margin,
somewhat broader anteriorly and tapering posteriorly, followed by a narrow red band and
then a striking metallic blue stripe extending right to the tip of the fin. There are hints of
this in many members of the genus, but I know of no other form in which it is so clearly
and evenly expressed. The proximal part of the dorsal fin exhibits a double row of deep red
spots on the spinous portion, which is covered in fainter blue markings; in the soft-rayed
part there are alternating metallic blue and reddish stripes or rows of dots running
diagonally across the fin-rays on a background of transparent yellowish green, becoming
colourless distally. The upper part of the caudal fin is similar, but much more faintly
coloured, in particular the blue dots are barely visible. The lower half of the caudal fin is
yellowish, at its base there are several large, irregular, metallic blue dots, and with
increasing age vertical rows of dots extend posteriorly. The anal fin exhibits broad metallic
blue stripes separated by only narrow yellowish interspaces, a grey anterior margin, and a
small, irregular red spot at the tip. The ventral fins are reddish in colour apart from the
anterior margin.
During courtship the coloration intensifies, the sides of the head and body are now bold
golden yellow, a number of scales above and behind the pectoral fins have red centres, and
the red on the fins, especially the ventral fins, becomes more intense. Interestingly the
sooty black coloration seen on the throat and breast, as well as the on the ventral fins, in
many other species is almost completely absent in this case.
The females resemble those of P. victoriae and some forms of P. philander in their
coloration, but are can easily be distinguished on the basis of their typical markings. Traces
of the striking dorsal-fin markings in males are also apparent in females, and the intensity
of the blue head pattern that brightens up females during brood care also appears to be
diagnostic.
Comparison with other species
So how is this species to be classified taxonomically? To date two members of the
Haplochromis assemblage have been described from the Rufiji-/Ruaha system, namely
Paratilapia kilossana STEINDACHNER, 1914 and P. vollmeringi STEINDACHNER, 1914. The types
are adult specimens; one syntype of P. kilossana originates from Kilosa (Wami system), the
36 MORGENSTERN: Pseudocrenilabrus sp. "Ruaha"