Two New Pelvicachromis Species

[Randall]

Hello all,

Browsing this forum for the first time, I came across the following:

Simon's original forum was setup to promote dwarf cichlids (mainly the south american and west african species) to an Australian cichlid hobby seemingly obsessed by rift lake cichlids - and this new version is simply an extension of that ideal.

To this end, two new Pelvicachromis species have just been scientifically described.

Pelvicachromis rubrolabiatus Lamboj 2004, from the Kolente River system, Guinea, is named after the Latin rubrum (red) and labiatum (lipped), referring the male's red lips. Known in the hobby as P. sp. "Bandi II," P. rubrolabiatus is a member of the humilis-group.

Also from the Kolente River system, Pelvicachromis signatus Lamboj 2004 is named after the Latin signatus ("wearing markings" or "marked") and referrs to the black markings on males' dorsal fins and the black spot on females' caudal fins. This species is known in the hobby as P. sp. "Guinea" or P. sp. "Bandi I" and is also a member of the humilis-group.

Both species are available in the US hobby from sources that specialize in western African cichlids; sorry, I don't know if they are currently available in Australia. Photos may be seen in Linke & Staeck, 1994 (signatus only) & 2002 (both species). Additional photos may be seen in Dr. Lamboj's upcoming book, The Cichlids of Western Africa, due out in May 2004. The original German language edition is currently available as of March.

Thank you.

All the best,

Randall Kohn

[fiona]

Interesting! Thanks!

Goes off to look them up ...