Pelvicachromis

Anton Lamboj, 2004, Pelvicachromis signatus and Pelvicachromis rubrolabiatus, two new cichlid species (Teleostei, Perciformes) from Guinea, West Africa., Zootaxa 454, pp. 1-12 : 1

[[ Pelvicachromis ]]

The West African cichlid genus Pelvicachromis comprises six described species, distributed from Guinea to Congo (Brazzaville). Following Thys van den Audenaerde (1968) and Greenwood (1987), the genus belongs to the group of chromidotilapiine cichlids, characterized by (1) a visor-like hanging pad on the roof of the pharynx, (2) outer teeth in both jaws unicuspid, (3) a few teeth situated anterolaterally in the lower jaws with a curvature of the crown directed posteriorly and not buccally, (4) no microbranchiospines and (5) gill rakers on the outer row of the first ceratobranchial pachydermatous, transversely aligned, with a tuberculate and concave upper surface and a protracted distal tip.

In addition to the group characters, the genus Pelvicachromis is characterized by a combination of features (Greenwood, 1987): (1) small to very small chest scales, (2) 2nd (sometimes 2nd and 3rd) branched pelvic fin ray of females longer than 1st, giving the distal tip of the fin a rounded rather than pointed appearance, (3) 16 scales around the caudal peduncle, (4) one or more scales between upper lateral line and dorsal fin base.