Allauad's Haplo

Diagnosis: Astatoreochromis alluaudi can be distinguished from A. straeleni by the possession of 4-7 anal spines vs. 3-4, and 17-19 dorsal spines, rarely 16 or 20, vs. 16-18, exceptionally 19 (Ref. 126033).Description: Small to medium-sized species with moderately compressed body; dorsal head profile fairly steeply sloping, straight or decurved, becoming concave in large individuals (Ref. 126033). Mouth horizontal or slightly oblique; jaws equal anteriorly or lower somewhat projecting; posterior tip of maxilla reaching, or almost reaching, vertical to anterior orbital margin; gill rakers short and stout, 7-10, generally 8-9, on the lower limb of the first gill-arch (Ref. 126033). Flank scales around lateral line ctenoid, elsewhere cycloid; 26-32, generally 29-32, longitudinal line scales, excluding the small scales on caudal fin base; cheek with 3-5 series of scales; scales between pectoral and pelvic fins 4-6, rarely 3 (Ref. 126033). Dorsal fin spines 17-19, rarely 16 or 20, soft rays 7-8, occasionally 6 or 9; anal fin spines 4-7, soft rays 6-8, rarely 9; pectoral fin rays 13-14, rarely 15; caudal fin rounded (Ref. 126033). Posteriormost teeth in outer row of upper jaw unicuspid; in small specimens, outer row teeth unequally bicuspid and relatively stout, occasionally only stout unicuspid teeth in small specimens, becoming a mixture of weakly bicuspid and unicuspid in large specimens; 28-48 outer row teeth in upper jaw and 20-42 outer row teeth in lower jaw with numbers increasing with size, 1-2, occasionally 3, inner rows of small tricuspid or occasionally unicuspid teeth in both lower and upper jaws (Ref. 126033). Lower pharyngeal jaw triangular, longer than, or almost as long as, wide, its width 78.1-108.5% of its length; lateral teeth in the posterior rows slender and cuspidate, the central two to four, occasionally six, rows with a mixture of molariform (anterior part of the dentigerous area) and enlarged but cuspidate teeth (Ref. 126033).Specimens from Lake Victoria have a more massive lower pharyngeal jaw and a greater proportion of molariform teeth compared to the similarly sized specimens from other lakes and rivers in the Victoria basin (Ref. 126033).Colouration: Colour pattern of live specimens: anteriorly and dorsally grey yellowish, posterior-ventrally, grey greenish to bluish; a dark band, continuous with lachrymal stripe, runs obliquely backwards through, or a little behind, the eye to near the gill opening; lower jaw faint grey bluish; fins grey yellowish, dorsal fin somewhat darker and with blackish spots on soft part, caudal fin with similar spots, pelvic blackish distally, anal fin of specimens larger than 80 mm standard length with 2-3 horizontal rows of bright orange-yellow ocelli, in specimens less than 80 mm standard length anal ocelli may be absent or hardly visible (Ref. 126033). Colour pattern of preserved specimens: general appearance greyish-brown to brown, lighter ventrally; five or six dark transverse bars often interrupted ventrally on the flanks; no mid-lateral band present; a vertical or posteriorly directed, blackish bar below the eye, runs to posterior corner of mouth, occasionally extending onto lower jaw; blackish dots arranged in interrupted horizontal rows on soft dorsal fin and in interrupted vertical rows on caudal fin, these are strongly marked in large males; edge of fins dark to blackish, anal ocelli in males, when present dark grey (Ref. 126033).

Trypanosoma Infestation 2. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)

Cichlidogyrus Infestation 6. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)

Dactylosoma Infection 1. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)

This species is a mouth-brooder (Ref. 126033). Though its breeding period is not well documented, the species may reproduce at the end of the short rain season from November to December (Ref. 126033).

Dorsal spines (total): 16 - 20; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6 - 9; Anal spines: 4 - 7; Analsoft rays: 6 - 9

This species is not confined to a particular type of substrate and is ubiquitous in all areas where the water is less than 20 m deep; it also occurs in papyrus swamps and feeds mainly on molluscs (Ref. 126033).

Astatoreochromis alluaudi is not confined to a particular type of substrate and is ubiquitous in all areas where the water is less than 20 m deep; it also occurs in papyrus swamps (Ref. 5602, 126033). It feeds mainly on molluscs (Ref. 126033), but it might be an omnivorous species that switches to the most abundant food source in its environment (Ref. 6770, 126033). Used for snail control (Ref.4967).

aquarium: commercial

Alluaud's haplo (Astatoreochromis alluaudi) is a species of freshwater fish in the cichlid family, Cichlidae. It is native to East Africa, where it occurs in many lakes, including Lake Victoria.

This fish reaches about 19 centimeters in maximum length. It lives in swampy waters. It is omnivorous and is utilized to control snails. In the wild, snails make up a significant part its diet. This is reflected in its thick jaw, adapted to crush shells. It is not considered to be a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The specific name honours Charles A. Alluaud (1861-1949) the French explorer and entomologist who was the collector of the type specimen of this species.