Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Caprichromis: Latin, capra = goat + Greek, chromis = a fish, perhaps a perch (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Trewavas.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical; 9°S - 15°S
Africa: Endemic to Lake Malawi.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 19.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4977)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Diagnosis: gums thicker, teeth less visible and mouth with more steeply angled jaws than C. liemi (Ref. 55954).
Mainly observed off sandy beaches at about 15 m depth (Ref. 5595), but occurs in both shallow and deep water (Ref. 55954). Normally stays in midwater where it is also found over rocks; although no actual feeding on larvae has been observed, this species is reported to be a paedophage that rams the head of a mouth-brooding female from below (Ref. 5595).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Maréchal, C., 1991. Caprichromis. p. 36. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, G.G. Teugels and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 4. (Ref. 4977)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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