Haplochromis ushindi Oijen, 2004
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Haplochromis "sharpsnout" van Oijen, 1982
Conservation Status
Missing
Last record: 1985
IUCN RedList status: Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
Oijen (2004) states that all known specimens were collected between 1975 and 1985. However in the "material" section of the paper (Ibid.: 250) only lists specimens captured in 1980 or prior. It is assumed that specimens were collected up until 1985, but Oijen decided to utilize specimens which, whether by coincidence or intentional, were collected prior to 1981 when writing the paper.
Distribution
Mwanza Gulf, Lake Victoria, East Africa
Biology & Ecology
The largest piscivorous cichlid in the Mwanza Gulf area of Lake Victoria, males have been recorded up to 26cm TL.
Hypodigm
Haplochromis ushindi is known by "less than 100 specimens" in the RMNH collection (Oijen, 2004: 249), but exactly how many less is not known to the author of this database. Perhaps those specimens listed in (Oijen, 2004) comprise the total hypodigm of the species.
Holotype: RMNH 76623 (male)
Type locality: "central Mwanza Gulf, north of Nyegezi Bay".
Paratypes:
RMNH 76626 (female)
RMNH 76635 (female)
RMNH 76732 (female)
RMNH 76615 (female)
RMNH 76611 (female)
RMNH 76728 (female)
RMNH 76730 (female)
RMNH 76655 (female)
RMNH 76735 (male)
RMNH 76729 (female)
RMNH 76753 (female)
RMNH 61402 (male)
RMNH 76630 (female)
RMNH 76633 (female)
RMNH 77377 (female)
RMNH 76625 (female)
RMNH 76608 (female)
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Oijen, M. J. P. van. (2004). Haplochromis ushindi spec. nov., the largest piscivorous cichlid in the Mwanza Gulf area of Lake Victoria (East Africa) before the Nile perch upsurge. Zool. Med. Leiden 78(13): 249-255.
Other references:
Oijen, M.J.P. van. (1982). Ecological differentiation among the piscivorous haplochromine cichlids of Lake Victoria. Neth. J. Zool. 32: 336-363.
Witte, F., de Zeeuw, M.P. & Brooks, E. (2010). Haplochromis ushindi. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. (http://www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 21 April 2012.