Common names:
Unknown
None

Taxonomic tree
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
Order: Cichliformes (Cichlids)
Family: Cichlidae (Cichlids)
Genus: Pundamilia
Species: Pundamilia macrocephala (Seehausen & Bouton 1998)
Number of Occurrancies: 27

Etymology(based on Scharpf & Lazara, 2019) 

• Pundamilia: Kishwahili word meaning “striped horse” (i.e., zebra), referring to distinct vertical bars permanently displayed in most species


• macrocephala:  macro-, meaning large; cephalus, meaning head; referring to its “heavy headed” appearance. 

Synonyms: click here to view synonyms, but also see taxonomic remarks below

Type locality: Mwanza Gulf, Python Islands, east side of the western big island, Lake Victoria, Tanzania. Holotype at Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (RMNH)

General identification features for haplochromine cichlids

• A single nostril on each side of the head; dorsal fin with contineous spinous and soft-rayed parts; lateral line interrupted(with anterior superior part and posterior inferior part)


• Ctenoid scales


• Juveniles lack tilapia mark (dark spot at the posterior end of the dorsal fin)

Distinguishing characters for the genus (From Seehausen et al., 1998)

• Shallow to moderately steep, and straight or slightly concave dorsal head profile, usually with a concavity rostrad of the eye, hence, slighly concave in lateral view; 


• A mouth gape that is inclined upwards rostrally, and a distinct (usually permanently displayed vertical bar pattern on the flanks, that, in mature males often fade away towards the base of dorsal fin;


• Unicuspid and accutely pointed outer teeth, the crowns of which are cylindrical in cross-section, and in the upper jaw strongly recurved;


• Egg dummies often arranged in a cluster


• Jaw is isognathus, snout obtuse, the lower jaw slightly protruding or lower jaw prognathus; 


• Lips not enlarged except in large males, but not thickened.

Distinguishing characters for the species (From Seehausen et al., 1998)

• Medium-sized haplochromine with a large head, straight to slightly concave dorsal head profile, acutely pointed unicuspid outer teeth with recurved tips;


• The lips are enlarged; the teeth are bicuspid in smaller males;


• Absence of vertical bars in preserved specimens; in life, bars are less distinctive and few (4-5). 


• Males are velvety black all over, sometimes lighter grey on the dorsal head surface and dorsum.


• The spinous part of the dorsal fin with iridescent metallic blue band with red lappets;


• The caudal fin is black with red edge that is broadened in the corners;


• The anal fin is proximally black and distally red, carrying 2-5 large egg dummies.


• Females are dark brown, sometimes almost as dark as males and dark-grey brown fins without yellow. 

Taxonomic remarks: We adopt the genus Pundamilia, which is valid in Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer et al. 2019), based on Seehausen et al. 1998, although FishBase (Froese and Pauly, 2019) lists the species in genus Haplochromis based on Van Oijen 1996. 

Distribution in Uganda: Lake Victoria and Victoria Nile

Occurence: Native

Habitat: Crypitically, solitary species, restricted to rocky substrates. 

Feeding: Insect larvae, epilithic sponges, ostracoda, plankton and detritus.   

Biology: Little information on the life-history, but the species is a polygynous mouth-brooder, with maternal parental care; males are terrestrial (Seehausen et al. 1998).

Economic importance/End use: Unknown. 

IUCN conservation status: click here to view IUCN status

Threats: In the main lake predation by Nile perch habitat degradation

Main references

• Seehausen, O., Lippitsch, E., Bouton, N. and Zwennes, H. 1998. Mbipi, the rock-dwelling cichlids of Lake Victoria: description of three new genera and fifteen new species (Teleostei). Ichtyological exploration of Freshwaters 9: 129-228.


• Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2019. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (02/2019)


• Sharpf C, Lazara J.K. 2019. Fish Name Etymology Database v4. www.etyfish.org


• Eschmeyer, W.N., Fricke, R. and Van der Laan, R. (eds). 2019. Catalog of Fishes: genera, species, references. Updated 1 July 2019. Available at: http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp. (Accessed 10 July 2019)


• van Oijen, M.J.P. 1996. The generic classification of haplochromine cichlids of Lake Victoria, East Africa. Zoologische Verhandelingen 302: 57-110.