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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Fri Dec 10 2010 - 10:27:56 EST
New species of Danakilia cichlid described
December 10, 2010
A second species of the cichlid genus Danakilia has been described from
northeastern Africa, named Danakilia dinicolai by Melanie Stiassny, Giuseppe
De Marchi and Anton Lamboj in a recent issue of the journal Zootaxa.
Danakilia dinicolai differs from the only other species in the genus, D.
franchettii, in having a longer pectoral fin, more robust and fewer oral
teeth, and a longer lower pharyngeal jaw covered with finer, denser teeth in
its posterior field. It also differs from D. franchettii in some body
proportions.
The new species is known only from Lake Abaeded, an isolated crater lake
located in the Danakil Depression of Eritrea, which is about 160 km
northwest of the only known location where D. franchettii occurs (Lake
Adfera in Ethiopia).
In fact, the authors initially thought that the new species was a population
of D. franchettii, until they compared material collected from the two
locations and realized that the Lake Abaeded population represented a new
species.
According to the authors, this species is predominantly a grazer of algae
growing on plants and rocks, as it had a very long, highly coiled gut that
was filled with algae in the specimens examined. As the authors were able to
catch the fish in lines baited with grasshoppers, it is likely that D.
dinicolai is an opportunistic omnivore.
The water in the lake is very warm (29–45°C) and highly saline, with a pH of
7.5. The substrate consists predominantly of sand, and the shallower areas
were covered with crater-like nests that were defended by large, colourful
males (pictured at the top of the page). The female is shown below.
The new species is named in memory of Ernesto Di Nicola, a member of the
2001 expedition to Lake Abaeded who died in a car accident while returning
from the lake.
For more information, see the paper: Stiassny, MLJ, G De Marchi and A Lamboj
(2010) A new species of Danakilia (Teleostei, Cichlidae) from Lake Abaeded
in the Danakil Depression of Eritrea (East Africa). Zootaxa 2690, pp. 43–52.
colourful males
<http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/custom/images/large/4cff75b8f40e6.jpg
> New species of Danakilia cichlid described
Copyright © Giuseppe De Marchi
The female is shown below.
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/custom/images/medium/4cff75ba79cdd.jpg
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