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Thomas Andersen, 2005
Cichlid Room Companion
Tribe Ectodini

Synopsis of Cunningtonia Boulenger, 1906

By , 2007. image
Last updated on 31-Jan-2007


Type species: Cunningtonia longiventralis Boulenger, 1906

Male at Kachese

Cunningtonia longiventralis male at Kachese, Zambia. Photo by Ad Konings. Determiner Ad Konings

Distinctive characters:

  • Body deep, 2.6 - 3 times as long as high, with a convex dorsal profile.
  • Dorsal XII-XIV, 13-15. Anal III, 8-10. Ventral fins prolonged with outer rays reaching to the caudal fin in adult males. Caudal fin cresentric, with more or less filamentous lobes.
  • Scales small with 35-41 scales along the longitudinal line.
  • Two lateral lines.
  • Lower pharyngeal bone triangular, covered densely with small cuspid teeth.
  • Mouth final, broad and transverse, with fine tricuspid teeth, arranged in many rows forming a broad band on each jaw.
  • The color of the body is silvery to bluish in males, and silver with dark blotches in females.
  • Total length 14 cm.

Species currently included:

Cunningtonia longiventralis Boulenger, 1906

Type locality:

Niamkolo, Zambia

Synonyms:

None

Link to Cunningtonia longiventralis in the CRC Catalogue.

Remarks on taxonomic status:

The molecular analyses of Koblmüller et al. (2004) showed that the mono-typic genus Cunningtonia form a subclade within the Ophthalmotilapia-clade, together with the genera Aulonocranus, Ectodus and Lestradea, and that Cunningtonia longiventralis may form a species-pair together with Aulonocranus dewindti. Cunningtonia differ primarily from the species in the genus Ophthalmotilapia by the presence of fine tricuspid teeth, tightly set in many rows forming a broad band on each jaw, like seen in species of the genus Petrochromis.

References (3):

Citation:

Andersen, Thomas. (Jan 31, 2007). "Synopsis of Cunningtonia Boulenger, 1906". Cichlid Room Companion. Retrieved on Mar 29, 2024, from: https://cichlidae.com/section.php?id=187.