Pseudocrenilabrinae Explained

The Pseudocrenilabrinae are a subfamily in the cichlid family of fishes to which, according to a study from 2004, includes all the Middle Eastern and African cichlids with the exception of the unusual Heterochromis multidens and the Malagasy species.^[1] This subfamily includes more than 1,100 species. Previous authors recognized additional African subfamilies, e.g. the Tilapiinae of Hoedeman (1947), Tylochrominae of Poll (1986), or Boulengerochrominae of Tawil (2001).

This subfamily inclues the cichlids from the African Great Lakes, such as the utaka and mbuna in Lake Malawi, and various species from Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika.

The Pseudocrenilabrinae tribes Haplochromini and Oreochromini 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.^[2]

Systematics

Apart from the tribes mentioned in the adjacent box, Bathybatini, Benthochromini, Boulengerochromini, Coelotilapiini, Coptodonini, Cyphotilapiini, Eretmodini, Etiini, Greenwoodochromini, Heterotilapiini, Limnochromini, Oreochromini, Pelmatolapiini, Perissodini, Steatocranini and Trematocarini are sometimes also recognized.^{[2] [3]} The extinct genus Mahengechromis is purportedly distinct from any of the established Pseudocrenilabrinae tribes.

Genera

The subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae has been arranged as follows by some authorities^[4]

Bathybatini Bathybates Boulenger, 1898 Hemibates Regan, 1920 Trematocara Boulenger, 1899 Benthochromini Benthochromis Poll, 1986 Boulengerochromini Boulengerochromis Pellegrin, 1904 Chromidotilapiini Benitochromis Lamboj 2001 Chromidotilapia Boulenger 1898 Congochromis Stiassny & Schliewen, 2007 Divandu Lamboj & Snoeks, 2000 Limbochromis Greenwood, 1987 Nanochromis Pellegrin, 1904 Parananochromis Greenwood, 1987 Pelvicachromis Thys van den Audenaerde, 1968 Teleogramma Boulenger, 1899 Thysochromis Daget, 1988 Wallaceochromis Lamboj, Trummer & Metscher, 2016 ^[5] Coelotilapiini Coelotilapia Mayland, 1995 Coptodonini Coptodon Gervais, 1848 Cyphotilapiini Cyphotilapia Regan, 1920 Cyprichromini Cyprichromis Scheuermann, 1977 Paracyprichromis Poll, 1986 Ectodini Aulonocranus Regan, 1920 Callochromis Regan, 1920 Cardiopharynx Poll, 1942 Cunningtonia Boulenger, 1906 Cyathopharynx Regan, 1920 Ectodus Boulenger, 1898 Grammatotria Boulenger, 1899 Lestradea Poll, 1943 Ophthalmotilapia Pellegrin, 1904 Xenochromis Boulenger, 1899 Xenotilapia Boulenger, 1899 Eretmodini Eretmodus Boulenger, 1898 Spathodus Boulenger, 1900 Tanganicodus Poll, 1950 Etiini Etia Schliewen & Stiassny, 2003 Gobiocichlini Gobiocichla Kanazawa, 1951 Greenwoodochromini Greenwoodochromis Poll, 1983 Haplochromini Abactochromis Oliver & Arnegard 2010 Alticorpus Stauffer & McKaye, 1988 Aristochromis Trewavas, 1935 Astatoreochromis Pellegrin, 1904 Astatotilapia Pellegrin, 1904 Aulonocara Regan, 1922 Buccochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Caprichromis Eccles, & Trewavas 1989 Champsochromis Boulenger, 1915 Cheilochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 Chetia Trewavas, 1961 Chilotilapia Boulenger, 1908 Copadichromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Corematodus Boulenger, 1897 Ctenochromis Pfeffer, 1893 Ctenopharynx Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Cyathochromis Trewavas, 1935 Cyclopharynx Poll, 1948 Cynotilapia Regan, 1922 Cyrtocara Boulenger, 1902 Dimidiochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Diplotaxodon Trewavas, 1935 Docimodus Boulenger, 1897 Eclectochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Exochochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Fossorochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Genyochromis Trewavas, 1935 Gephyrochromis Boulenger, 1901 Haplochromis Hilgendorf, 1888 Hemitaeniochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Hemitilapia Boulenger, 1902 Iodotropheus Oliver & Loiselle, 1972 Labeotropheus Ahl, 1926 Labidochromis Trewavas, 1935 Lethrinops Regan, 1922 Lichnochromis Trewavas, 1935 Maylandia M. K. Meyer & W. Förster, 1984 Mbipia Lippitsch & Seehausen, 1998 Mchenga Stauffer & Konings, 2006 Melanochromis Trewavas, 1935 Mylochromis Regan, 1920 Naevochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Nimbochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Nyassachromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Orthochromis Greenwood, 1954 Otopharynx Regan, 1920 Pallidochromis Turner, 1994 Petrotilapia Trewavas, 1935 Pharyngochromis Greenwood, 1979 Placidochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Protomelas Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Pseudocrenilabrus Fowler, 1934 Pseudotropheus Regan, 1922 Rhamphochromis Regan, 1922 Sargochromis Regan, 1920 Schwetzochromis Poll, 1948 Sciaenochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Serranochromis Regan, 1920 Stigmatochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Taeniochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Taeniolethrinops Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Thoracochromis Greenwood, 1979 Tramitichromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989 Trematocranus Trewavas 1935 Trematochromis Poll, 1987 Tropheops Trewavas, 1984 Tyrannochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989 Hemichromini Anomalochromis Greenwood, 1985 Hemichromis Peters, 1857 Rubricatochromis Lamboj & Koblmüller, 2022 Heterotilapiini Heterotilapia Regan, 1920 Lamprologini Altolamprologus Poll, 1986 Chalinochromis Poll, 1974 (might belong in Julidochromis) Julidochromis Boulenger, 1898 Lamprologus Schilthuis, 1891 Lepidiolamprologus Pellegrin, 1904 (probably polyphyletic) Neolamprologus Colombé & Allgayer, 1985 (polyphyletic?) Telmatochromis Boulenger, 1898 (probably polyphyletic) Variabilichromis Colombe & Allgayer, 1985 Limnochromini Baileychromis Poll, 1986 Gnathochromis Poll, 1981 Limnochromis Regan, 1920 Reganochromis Whitley, 1929 Tangachromis Poll, 1981 Triglachromis Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1974 Oreochromini Alcolapia Thys van den Audenaerde, 1969 Danakilia Thys van den Audenaerde, 1969 Iranocichla Coad, 1982 Konia Trewavas, 1972 Myaka Trewavas, 1972 Oreochromis Günther, 1889 Pungu Trewavas, 1972 Sarotherodon Rüppell, 1852 Stomatepia Trewavas, 1962 Tristramella Trewavas, 1942 Pelmatochromini Pelmatochromis Steindachner, 1894 Pelmatolapiini Pelmatolapia Thys van den Audenaerde, 1969 Perissodini Haplotaxodon Boulenger, 1906 Perissodus Boulenger, 1898 Plecodus Boulenger, 1898 Steatocranini Steatocranus Boulenger 1899 Tilapiini Chilochromis Boulenger 1902 Congolapia Dunz, Vreven & Schliewen, 2012 Pterochromis Trewavas, 1973 Tilapia Smith, 1840 Tropheini Interochromis Yamaoka, M. Hori & Kuwamura, 1988 Limnotilapia Regan, 1920 Lobochilotes Boulenger, 1915 Petrochromis Boulenger, 1898 Pseudosimochromis Nelissen, 1977 Simochromis Boulenger, 1898 Tropheus Boulenger, 1898 Tylochromini Tylochromis Regan, 1920

Further reading

• I. P. Farias, G. Orti, A. Meyer: Total Evidence: Molecules, Morphology, and the Phylogenetics of Cichlid Fishes, Journal of Experimental Zoology (Mol Dev Evol) 288:76–92 (2000) PDF
• "Cichlidae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. Nov 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006. http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/FamilySummary.cfm?Family=Cichlidae

Notes and References

1. Sparks & Smith (2004). Phylogeny and biogeography of cichlid fishes (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae). Cladistics 20(6): 501–517
2. Meyer, Matchiner, Salburger. Britta, Michael, Walter. 2015. A tribal level phylogeny of Lake Tanganyika cichlid fishes based on a genomic multi-marker approach. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 83. 56–71. 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.10.009. 25433288. 4334724.
3. 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.
4. Web site: Pseudocrenilabrinae. 18 January 2019 . NCBI.
5. Lamboj, A., Trummer, F,. & Metscher, B.D. (2016): Wallaceochromis gen. nov, a new chromidotilapiine cichlid genus (Pisces: Perciformes) from West Africa. Zootaxa, 4144 (1): 124-130.