Paretroplus:Cichlid Genus

Introduction
Paretroplus is a genus of fish in the subfamily “Etroplinae”, family Cichlidae.
These are endemic to Lakes and rivers of Madagascar, Africa and is the sister genus to Etroplus
which are endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka.
Together these two genera comprise the subfamily Etroplinae.
Taxonomy
The Genus Paretroplus was described by Bleeker in 1868.
The genus name Paretroplus comes from the Greek 'para' meaning 'on the side of'.
In taxonomy it is commonly used in generic names to express similarity or relatedness.
Hence the genus name literally means 'next to Etroplus' and signifies the close relationship
these two genus have.
Description
Paretroplus are medium-sized to large cichlid fishes.
They are found in a variety of habitats, including rivers, shallow floodplain lakes, brackish and marshy
coastal environments throughout northwestern and eastern coastal Madagascar.
All members of the genus are highly threatened (with the possible exception of P. polyactis) due to habitat destruction, overfishing, and competition from a number of exotic species, primarily tilapiine cichlids and the Asian snakehead.
Until very recently, when a small isolated population was discovered, one species, Paretroplus menarambo, was presumed extinct.
A remarkable features of this family, is the development of the front part of the gas bladder and
corresponding changes to the posterior of the neurocranium(back part of the skull that houses the brain.
This creates a direct connection between the gas bladder and inner ear, and it is not seen in any other
Cichlid families.
This allows fish of this genus to have remarkable hearing power.
Relationship with sister genus Etroplus
The sister-group relationship between Etroplus and Paretroplus represents a well-corroborated
transoceanic link within Cichlidae, a pattern congruent with the Mesozoic fragmentation of Gondwana.
Although separated by the Indian Ocean, due to striking similarities in external morphology Etroplus
and Paretroplus have been hypothesized to have a sister-group relationship since the original
description of Paretroplus by Bleeker.
This trans–Indian Ocean relationship has been widely accepted by subsequent workers including Regan (1920), Cichocki (1976), and Stiassny (1991).
Distribution & Habitat
Paretroplus are endemic to Madagascar(Africa).
Their greatest diversity is concentrated in the northwestern part of the island,
where 11 species occur.
The eatern side of island is inhabitated by only Paretruplus polyactis
Paretroplus are absent from Central western, Central highland, and South-western parts of Madagascar.
Generally, species of Paretroplus show very distinct distributions, the only exception is
Paretroplus kieneri, which exhibits a relatively wide distribution,
and is usually found with another member of the genus, Paretroplus polyactis.
Paretroplus damii is the only member of the genus that occurs in both eastern and western basins. Most species of Paretroplus live in freshwater however some species like P. polyactis and P. maromandia exhibit tolerance to brackish or saline environments and may be found, temporarily at least, in full seawater.
Species
Paretroplus comprises 13 species.
There are three morphologically distinct groups.
Group 1
First group consist of comparatively elongated fish which primarily live in rivers and swift flowing waters .
Species Name | Common Name | Image |
Paretroplus damii | damii | ![]() |
Paretroplus nourissati | lamena | ![]() |
Paretroplus tsimoly | Tsimoly | ![]() |
Paretroplus lamenabe | ||
Paretroplus loisellei |
Group 2
Second group consists of deep-bodied fish which are primarily lake dewelling.
Species Name | Common Name | Image |
Paretroplus polyactis | Masovoatoaka | ![]() |
Paretroplus petiti | ||
Paretroplus maculatus | ![]() |
|
Paretroplus menarambo | ![]() |
|
Paretroplus mariomandia | ![]() |
|
Paretroplus dambabe | ![]() |
Group 3
The third clade comprises of species which are shallow-bodied and highly mottled.
These species which are found in both rivers and lakes.
Species Name | Common Name | Image |
Paretroplus gymnopreopercularis | ||
Paretroplus kieneri | ![]() |
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