Morphology Data of Haplochromis nigricans
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Seehausen, O., E. Lippitsch, N. Bouton and H. Zwennes, 1998
Appearance refers to
Bones in OsteoBase

Sex attributes

Specialized organs
Different appearance
Different colors
Remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features
Body shape lateral fusiform / normal
Cross section
Dorsal head profile
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth terminal
Type of scales
Diagnosis

Moderately convex dorsal head profile, short snout, terminal mouth and broad bands of contiguously set teeth. Distinguished from males of all species of Neochromis by having enlarged cephalic pores, and large scales on the lateral chest surface, gradually changing to small ones only at the level of the ventral fin insertions. Differs further from N. simotes by having a deeper body (38.4% SL vs. 34.0-35.7), a shorter (26.9% HL vs. 30.8-32.5) and narrower (31.7% HL vs. 35.4-37.7) snout, smaller preorbital depth (14.9% HL vs. 16.8-18.7); larger eyes (30.9% HL vs. 27.1-28.7), a shorter (30.1% HL vs. 30.8-33.1) and narrower (27.7-% HL vs. 32.8-34.4) lower jaw, subequally bicuspid crowns to the teeth in the outer rows, fewer inner tooth rows in both jaws (5), larger scales on the occiput, cycloid scales on the caudal part of the dorsum, larger scales on the chest, and the lack of small cycloid scales on the anal/genital region (Ref. 27668).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Haplochromis nigricans

Lateral Lines Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line 32 - 32
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line
Scale rows below lateral line
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb
on upper limb
total
Vertebrae
preanal 13 - 13
total 29 - 29

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes no striking attributes
Fins number 1
Finlets No. Dorsal   
Ventral  
Spines total 15 - 16
Soft-rays total 10 - 9
Adipose fin absent

Caudal fin

Attributes more or less truncate

Anal fin(s)

Fins number
Spines total 3 - 3
Soft-rays total 9 - 9

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  more or less normal
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Pelvics Attributes  more or less normal
Position    
Spines     
Soft-rays   
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