The genus Aulonocara includes several subgroups which could be divided into subgenera or genera. If such a splitting was to occur, the nominal subgenus would be attributed to an array of sand-dwelling species. Another subgroup would include small partly sand-dwelling species around A. ethelwynnae, and finally we would find the favorite “peacock cichlids” with very colorful males, of which most all species are well known. Not quite all species since one remained until recently: Aulonocara sp. ‘trematocranus masinje’ which seems to be the missing piece of the puzzle. Patrick Tawil brings us up to speed.
Juan Miguel Artigas Azas introduces us to the “Chiapa de Corzo” cichlid from Rio Grande de Chiapa and its tributaries, on the Atlantic slope of Mexico. Chiapaheros grammodes is sometimes known as the ‘sieve cichlid’, a name derived from the intricate markings on the head. Juan shares aspects of its natural history and maintenance and breeding in the aquarium.
Oliver Lucanus introduces us to the cichlids from Lake Mweru, a 100 km long lake located in the southeastern corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo, part of the Rift Lake Valley, situated between Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi. Over 130 fish species have been reported from this lake, thirteen of them endemic; a number that is likely to rise once scientists get a closer look. Currently nine cichlid species are listed to occur in the lake. These include new Orthochromis types, and a complex and confusing group of Serranochromis and Sargochromis species that are virtually unknown in the hobby. We now have photos.
The genus Benthochromis consists of three cichlid species including the “Princess of the Deep”, one of the most spectacular cichlids found in Lake Tanganyika. Originally identified as Benthochromis tricoti, we now know it to be B. horii. The third species is B. melanoides. Ad Konings offers the key diagnostics that discriminate between these three species along with magnificent photos and their breeding strategies.
In 2015, McMahan et al. enriched the roster of Central American cichlids with a considerable number of new genera. This happened again in 2016 when a group of Czech biologists (Rican et al.) described no less than nine new genera. The discovery of all of these monophyletic groups is not primarily caused by the diversity shown by these fishes, according to Martin Geerts, but is much more a consequence of the methods that were employed. Geerts reviews the generic names that were introduced before sharing his doubts about the new classification scheme (note: a review of the Rican et al. 2016 work appeared recently in CN written by Willem Heijns 25(3) 22-27 2016).
