Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Etroplinae
Etymology: Paretroplus: Name from the Greek 'para' meaning 'on the side of'; in taxonomy it is commonly used in generic names to express similarity or relatedness; in the present case it would mean 'next to Etroplus' (S.Kullander, pers.comm. 3/11); gymnopreopercularis: The specific epithet, gymnopreopercularis, refers to the characteristic asquamate, naked, preopercle in this species (Ref. 78623).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical
Africa: Mangarahara River, Sofia River basin, in Madagascar (Ref. 78623).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 14.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 78623)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 17 - 19; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 15; Anal spines: 8 - 10; Anal soft rays: 11 - 13; Vertebrae: 32 - 34. Diagnosis: An elongate Paretroplus distinguished from all congeners except P. kieneri by the presence of a blotchy and mottled, orangish-brown to golden-brown, pigmentation pattern, the absence of both vertical bars and a horizontal striping pattern on the flanks, and the presence of a fleshy snout that extends both rostral to the lips and also ventrally to cover a portion of the upper lip (Ref. 78623). Paretroplus gymnopreopercularis is distinguished from P. kieneri by the presence of an asquamate preopercle, vs. fully scaled or scaled except along the ventral margin, and a blunt, strongly convex predorsal profile, vs. pointed; in P. gymnopreopercularis the second lacrimal plate is excluded from the orbit margin owing to contact of the first lacrimal plate and the third infraorbital bone in series, vs. narrow prong of the second lacrimal plate extending into the orbit margin in P. kieneri; in addition, P. kieneri is conspicuously blotchy, mottled, and speckled, and generally exhibits dark gray colouration; in contrast, P. gymnopreopercularis is characterized by a weakly mottled and for the most part uniform chain-link pigmentation pattern, owing to darkly pigmented scale margins, and is never dark gray, but orangish brown to golden brown overall (Ref. 78623).
Found in shallow, clear rivers; the current is swift, with many areas of small cascades and riffles; substrate is generally rocky, with many exposed boulders, interspersed with areas of sand; Paretroplus gymnopreopercularis appears to be restricted to deeper isolated pools (Ref. 78623).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Sparks, J.S., 2008. Phylogeny of the cichlid subfamily Etroplinae and taxonomic revision of the Malagasy cichlid genus Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 314:1-151. (Ref. 78623)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01660 (0.00652 - 0.04224), b=2.95 (2.73 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.9 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
