Ptychochromis onilahy

Ptychochromis onilahy – Stiassny & Sparks, 2006

Onilahy River Ptychochromis / Boramany / Kotro

Onilahy River, Tulear Province

Pty-co-CHRO-miss OH-knee-LA-hee

Named for the river in which the type material was collected

3.37 inches (8.58 cm) from preserved material

Separation from congeners relies heavily on skeletal morphology.

 From Stiassny & Sparks 2006: Ptychochromis onilahy exhibits western-type palatine morphology and is distinguished from all other Ptychochromis species by the presence of a lachrymal plate that extends ventrally to cover a portion of the upper lip.

 P. onilahy is further distinguished from all other congeners, except for P. oligacanthus, by the presence of cycloid scales above the upper lateral line and by having only two inner rows of teeth in both upper and lower jaws. P. onilahy possesses a higher number of lateral line scales and a shorter head length than does P. oligacanthus.

Populations appear to have occurred in the Onilahy River and to some coastal basins northward, disappearing just south of the Mangoky River.

Unknown – perhaps similar to that found in other Ptychochromis species.

 Melanie L. J. Stiassny and John S. Sparks “Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Endemic Malagasy Genus Ptychochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae), with the Description of Five New Species and a Diagnosis for Katria, New Genus”

in: American Museum Novitates, Number 3535, 55 pp., 26 fig., 2 plates, 11 tables September 08, 2006

Ptychochromis oligacanthus – race du Sud-Ouest

Ptychochromis oligacanthus – race geographique 'Sud–Ouest'

Ptychochromis sp. 'sud–ouest Riv. Onilahy'

Ptychochromis n. sp. "onilahy"

Ptychochromis nov. sp."kotro/onilahy"

Onilahy River

– 1962 by A. Kiener.

Also thought to occur:

– from the lower Onilahy River northward to just south of the Mangoky River.

 Species has not been collected in recent years. The Southwest of Madagascar has not been thoroughly surveyed for freshwater fishes and specimens of Ptychochromis onilahy may yet survive in small remnant populations. If specimens are found it would be considered extremely threatened.

No known captive populations

Unknown

Unknown

In the wild:

Unknown

In captivity:

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown