Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Aulonocara: Greek, aulos = flute + Greek, kara = face, head (Ref. 45335); koningsi: Named after Ad Konings, whose work on the Malawi cichlids in general and the genus Aulonocara in particular has largely contributed to our knowledge of these fish (Ref. 55928).
Eponymy: Dr Adrianus Franciscus Johannes Marinus Maria ‘Ad’ Konings (d: 1956) is a Dutch ichthyologist, cichlid aquarist, photographer, writer and publisher who began collecting cichlids at the age of fourteen. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; depth range 3 - 25 m (Ref. 55929). Tropical
Africa: endemic to Lake Malawi, only known from Mbenji Island in Malawi (Ref. 55929).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.2 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 55929)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 6 - 8. Diagnosis: dorsal profile rounded; territorial males uniformely blue; egg spots on anal fin absent or strongly reduced; melanin pattern of females and non-territorial males with vertical bars, often connected ventrally; spots on flanks present (Ref. 55929).
Inhabits intermediate zone between rocks and sand; feeds on sandy patches between rocks; males hold territories and excavate beneath rocks to construct their spawning burrow; females occur in small groups of 4 to 5 individuals (Ref. 55929).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Tawil, P., 2003. Aulonocara koningsi n. sp., un cichlidé nouveau du lac Malawi apparenté à Aulonocara stuartgranti (Pisces: Teleostei: Cichlidae). L'An Cichlidé 3:89-98. (Ref. 55929)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [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): 3.5 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming Fec<1000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
