You can sponsor this page

Nimbochromis venustus (Boulenger, 1908)

Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Google image

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) > Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Nimbochromis: Latin, nimbus = stormy, rainy + Greek, chromis, a fish, perhaps a perch; it has dark clouded melanic blotches on the body (Ref. 45335)venustus: From the Latin "venustus" = beautiful, graceful, elegant (Ref. 55922).
More on author: Boulenger.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; demersal; pH range: 7.2 - 8.8; dH range: 10 - 18; non-migratory; depth range 6 - 23 m (Ref. 55922). Tropical; 25°C - 27°C (Ref. 13371); 9°S - 15°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Africa: endemic to Lake Malawi where it is widely distributed.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 13371); common length : 22.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4989)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 16 - 17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10. Diagnosis: presence of a lozenged melanin pattern; no spots on pectoral fins; no radiating melanin pattern on the head; no highly contrasting, anastomosing horizontal and vertical melanin components on the body; body depth 38.1-40.9% of standard length; head length 32.0-33.8% of standard length; length of lower jaw 36.3-40.8% head length; dorsal fin base 53.3-57.7% of standard length (Ref. 55922).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found over sandy substrates (Ref. 5595, 55922). Juveniles may be found in shallow water near rocks while adults forage in deeper regions with sandy substrate (Ref. 5595). Feeds on small fish (Ref. 5595, 55922) and invertebrates (Ref. 55922). Half-grown individuals have been observed to remain motionless, partially buried in the sand, waiting for small fishes to come within reach (Ref. 55922).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Female takes brood into her mouth and takes care of the young.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Kullander, Sven O. | Collaborators

Maréchal, C., 1991. Nimbochromis. p. 296-299. 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. 4989)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 20 June 2018

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
References
References

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5312   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01445 (0.00674 - 0.03099), b=2.99 (2.82 - 3.16), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.2   ±0.73 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec<1000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (15 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.