Trematocranus Pachychilus

📖 Overview

Thick and fleshy lips are associated with rocky habitats in cichlids, since fish feeding between rocks use their lips as a seal to be able to suck out their prey from crevices and as protection against sharp rocks; but since all specimens were found in bottom trawls over soft substrates, the association of the new species with rocky habitats is unsure . Shell fragments of snails were observed in the stomachs of some specimens .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 12; Anal soft rays: 8 - 10; Vertebrae: 31 - 32. Diagnosis: Trematocranus pachychilus is clearly distinct from all other known species of the genus by its thick lips . It can further be distinguished from T. labifer by its molariform pharyngeal dentition while the latter has slender teeth on the lower pharyngeal jaw . In T. placodon lips are usually very small; while T. pachychilus has a rather concave head, as in T. microstoma, T. placodon has a more distinct convex head; in both T. pachychilus and T. placodon, the smaller specimens have a straighter head profile; coincidentally, in two large specimens of T. placodon the head is slightly concave; the teeth of T. pachychilus are less broad, more densely spaced and slightly less numerous, 36-47 vs. 41-57, than in T. placodon; Trematocranus pachychilus has more upper lateral line scales, 22-24 vs. 19-22, and more dorsal fin rays, 11-12 vs. 9-11, than T. placodon; the pharyngeal bones of T. pachychilus are less developed than in T. placodon; they are shallower, 9.4-10.4% of head length vs. 13.8-16.8%, narrower, 29.7-33.2% of head length vs. 36.1-48.7%, and shorter, 21.8-30.8% of head length vs. 29.8-35.9%, than those of T. placodon . The dentigerous area is also narrower than in T. placodon, 21.9-24.4% of head length vs. 24.2-27.5%; both species have large, molariform pharyngeal teeth, although in T. pachychilus the lateral teeth are smaller and more numerous than in T. placodon; the number of teeth on the posterior pharyngeal row in T. pachychilus is higher than in T. placodon, 23-27 vs. 11-23 . In T. microstoma the lips are intermediate; the snout of T. pachychilus is shorter than that of T. microstoma, 34.8-40.9% of head length vs. 38.0-42.4%; Trematocranus pachychilus has bicuspid oral teeth on the outer rows while T. microstoma has slender unicuspid teeth; it has fewer inner teeth rows, 3-5 vs. 6-8 on the lower jaw than T. microstoma; the lachrymal depth is clearly shorter than in T. microstoma, 22.9-29.7% of head length vs. 29.3-32.0%, while the eye diameter is larger, 25.2-29.5% of head length vs. 21.2-25.5%; the pharyngeal bones are more developed in T. pachychilus than in T. microstoma; the dentigerous area of T. pachychilus is wider than in T. microstoma, 21.9-24.4% of head length vs. 18.8-23.6%; the dentition of the lower pharyngeal bone is similar in both species, with the median teeth enlarged and the lateral teeth small and numerous . : fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Trematocranus Pachychilus is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🦠 Common Diseases

The following diseases are known to affect Trematocranus Pachychilus.

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

👥 Community & Contribute