Pseudotropheus
Pseudotropheus is a genus of fishes in the family Cichlidae. These mbuna cichlids are endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa.
Taxonomy
Like some other large cichlid genera, such as Cichlasoma, a number of related fishes have been recently reassigned to different genera such as Tropheops or Maylandia. Some species of Melanochromis in turn have been moved into Pseudotropheus.There are currently 25 recognized species in this genus:Pseudotropheus ater Stauffer, 1988Pseudotropheus benetos Pseudotropheus brevis Pseudotropheus crabro Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos Pseudotropheus cyaneus Stauffer, 1988 Pseudotropheus demasoni Konings, 1994Pseudotropheus elegans Trewavas, 1935Pseudotropheus elongatus Fryer, 1956 Pseudotropheus flavus Stauffer, 1988Pseudotropheus fuscoides Fryer, 1956Pseudotropheus fuscus Trewavas, 1935Pseudotropheus galanos Stauffer & Kellogg, 2002Pseudotropheus interruptus Pseudotropheus joanjohnsonae Pseudotropheus johannii Eccles, 1973Pseudotropheus likomae Konings, Miller, & Stauffer 2024Pseudotropheus longior Seegers, 1996Pseudotropheus minutus Fryer, 1956Pseudotropheus perileucos Pseudotropheus perspicax Pseudotropheus purpuratus D. S. Johnson, 1976Pseudotropheus saulosi Konings, 1990Pseudotropheus socolofi D. S. Johnson, 1974 Pseudotropheus tursiops W. E. Burgess & H. R. Axelrod, 1975Pseudotropheus williamsi
Several of these were moved to the new genus Chindongo in 2016.
Biology
Mbuna literally means "rockdweller" and this description accurately depicts the lifestyle of these cichlids which mostly live in rocky areas. Most pseudotrophine cichlids are algal grazers in the wild.Like most cichlids from Lake Malawi, fish from this genus reproduce via maternal mouthbrooding. The males often have egg spots on their anal fins which attract spawn-ready females towards them where they attempt to retrieve the imitation eggs while the male emits sperm into her biting mouth, thus fertilizing the eggs. The female and male generally move in an intensive circular motion while they spawn. Eventually, the female retrieves all of her eggs and incubates them in her mouth without eating for 2–4 weeks depending on the species and the particular fish after which the fry are released. Most, possibly all species of Pseudotropheus will breed together if given the right environment.