Common names:
Egyptian mouth-brooder
None

Taxonomic tree
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
Order: Cichliformes (Cichlids)
Family: Cichlidae (Cichlids)
Genus: Pseudocrenilabrus
Species: Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor (Schöller, 1903)
Number of Occurrancies: 198

Etymology (based on Scharpf & Lazara, 2019)

• Pseudocrenilabrus: pseudo-, false, i.e., although this genus may be “superficially somewhat similar” to the wrasse genus Crenilabrus (=Symphodus), such an appearance is false.


• multicolor:  multi-, many, referring to diverse coloration as described from aquarium specimens (e.g., upper sides and back a “bright copper purple,” lower sides white, scales with a nacreous iridescence, breeding males a “magnificent, sky blue iridescent coloring” with a vermilion blotch on tip of anal fin), and/or to how it changes color “in fear or in anger,” becoming gray-green with black longitudinal and horizontal stripes

Synonyms: click here to view synonyms on FishBase

Type locality: Lake Mareotis, Egypt. Syntypes at National Museum of Wales (NMW) 

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 and species

Only one species of genus Pseudocrenilabrus occurs in Uganda; it can be easily identified by:

• Vermilion (=red) blotch on tip of anal fin


• Rounded caudal fin 


• Bright copper purple on the upper sides and back, lower sides white, scales with a nacreous iridescence, breeding males with a “magnificent, sky blue iridescent coloring”), and grey-black longitudinal and horizontal stripes

Distribution in Uganda: Widely distributed, occuring in the Nile River system, Lake Albert, Semliki River, Lakes Victoria and Kyoga, Malawa and Aswa Rivers, Lake George, Lake Nabugabo, Koki lakes (Kachira, Kijanebalola and Nakavali), and rivers and lakes of Uganda including the Albert Lake drainage

Occurence: Native

Habitat: demersal, in submerged vegetation and in open water zones enclosed by papyrus swamps.

Feeding: Omnivorous; feeding on insects, worms, algae, and small fish   

Biology: Unknown

Economic importance/End use: Unknown. 

IUCN conservation status: click here to view conservation status

Threats: Possibly predation, especially by Nile perch, and habitat degradation

Main references

• 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