Dejo un anexo realizado por P. de Rham en 2022 antes de su fallecimiento que será de interés para aquellos que tengan el libro.
Annotated list of new species of cichlids from Madagascar described since 2004 and additional comments to the book‘The Endemic Cichlids of Madagascar’ by P. de Rham and J.-C. Nourissat, 2004.
By Patrick de Rham (2022)
Genus Paratilapia, page 16
Unfortunately, nothing new can be said on this genus as no revision has been published yet. In 1991, Maréchal & Gosse synonymised Paratilapia-Paracara typus (Bleeker 1878) and Paratilapia bleekeri (Sauvage 1891) with Paratilapia polleni Bleeker 1868. So, now only Paratilapia polleni Bleeker 1868 is valid (Catalog of fishes William Eschmeyer). However, if one follows the modern concept of what is a species, most people familiar with Paratilapia agree that the genus comprises several distinct species. In our book, we have tentatively given a few populations that could correspond to distinct species. But new information seems to indicate that some of the latter correspond to more than one species. In 2011, Paul Loiselle published an article in Buntbarsche Bulletin (n. 267) in which, according to information received from John Sparks, Paratilapia could comprise up to 11 species in Madagascar.
A revision of Paratilapia is made difficult by the fact that museum material is scarce, and several populations have declined or even gone extinct on the island. It is therefore difficult to assert the range of the different species. To take the example of the oldest known species, Paratilapia polleni Bleeker 1868: Bleeker, in his description of the species, gives the precise locality in which the species was first collected by Pollen & Van Dam as the Ambassuana River (today spelled Ambazoana). We even have a lively description by Pollen of the collecting of these first specimens.
He and Van Dam, coming from the sea, sailed up the estuary of this small river until they reached the place where the species were very numerous and extremely hungry. They had no difficulty in collecting several specimens using a line and hook (book pages 20/21).
We now know that Paratilapia polleni Bleeker 1868 lives in the Sambirano drainage, Nosy Be Island, and on the main island in a few smaller rivers (including the Ambassuana) north of Ambajoa. But we don’t know the northern limit of the species, or the identities of the species of Paratilapia we collected further north in the crater lakes near Anivorano Nord and lakes situated at the level of Befotaka near the bridge on the Sofia on the right bank of this large river.
In November 2006, Paul Loiselle collected Paratilapia specimens in Mananara, on the north-east coast of Madagascar, the type locality of Paracara typus Bleeker 1878. It is a large-spotted species but appears to be distinct from Paratilapia sp. “Andapa”, which is found further north. Hopefully, Paratilapia bleekeri (Sauvage 1891) which lived on the island near Antanarivo is still extant. There is no doubt that Paratilapia typus (Bleeker 1878) and Paratilapia bleekeri (Sauvage 1891) should be re-established as valid species.
Genus Ptychochromis, page 38
Seven new species of Ptychochromis were described since 2004. Six new species were described in “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” by Stiassny & Sparks 2006.
Ptychochromis onilahy Stiassny & Sparks 2006
This fish was collected in the Onilahy River by Kiener in 1962: “Ptychochromis oligacanthus, race du Sud-Ouest”.
With Jean-Claude Nourissat, we did our best to collect new specimens of the Onilahy Ptychochromis but were unsuccessful. The species is very probably extinct.
Ptychochromis makira Stiassny & Sparks 2006
This species was collected by purchase from local fishermen by Augustin Sarovy, J. S. Sparks, W. L. Smith, and K.L. Tang. It was captured in the Antainambalana River, north-east Madagascar. No personal experience of this species.
Ptychochromis loisellei Stiassny & Sparks 2006
This species was collected by Paul Loiselle in 2000 and 2001 in the Mahanara River, in our book we discuss this species in pp. 50-51 of the French edition and p. 50 of the English Edition. The local name of the fish is Garaka.
Ptychochromis curvidens Stiassny & Sparks 2006
In 1999, with Jean-Claude Nourissat, we collected the type material of this species in the rivers of the Andranofanjava-Sandriapiana river system, western slope of the Montagne d’Ambre. This is the most north-easterly Ptychochromis species. See page 58 in the French and English edition.
Ptychochromis insolitus Stiassny & Sparks 2006
This species was first collected in 1996 by Sparks et al. in the Amboaboa River, a tributary of the Magharara River. It corresponds to the “Ptychochromis sp. Mangarahara or Mandritsara:Joba we collected in 1997 in the Mangarahara River. See book pp. 60-62. It seems unlikely that Ptychochromis insolitus corresponds to the Ptychochromis A. Kiener described 1963 in his book‚ Poissons, pêches et pisciculture à Madagascar’, from Lake Ambalafary. This species according to Kiener was much more colourful than P. insolitus. We tried to collect this fish in 1992 but we were told by a local person that it is called Joba and had disappeared 20 years ago, when the African Cichlids invaded the area. But it is still possible that Kiener’s colourful Ptychochromis species, previously found in Lake Ambalafary, still exists in some other local lakes.
Ptychochromis ernestmagnusi Sparks & Stiassny 2010
This species was first collected in 2006 by Paul Loiselle in the North Mananara River. No personal experience of this species.
Ptychochromis mainty Martinez, Arroyave & Sparks 2015
Despite what is said in the description, I am convinced this species corresponds to the Ptychochromis species we collected in 1998 in the Tarantsy River, Ptychochromis sp. Tarantsy. Book pp. 47-48. In fact, I believe that the type specimens were aquarium-bred and descendants of the fish first reproduced by British aquarist Sonia Guinane. The wild fish were given to Sonia Guinane by Jean-Claude Nourissat and their offspring reached Northern America. The pictures shown in the description of the P. mainty show specimens of Ptychochromis sp. Tarantsy. No other Ptychochromis species matching the description exists in south-east Madagascar.
Genus Katria, page 74
Katria katria (Reinthal & Stiassny 1997)
This fish was originally described as Ptychochromoides katria by Reinthan & Stiassny 1997. Genetics research carried out
later showed that the species was more closely related to species of the genus Ptychochromis than to Ptychochromoides.
However, it appeared the species was sufficiently different to be placed in a genus of its own in Sparks & Stiassny 2006.
Katria is the local name of the fish in the area of Marolambo, Nosivolo River.
Genus Paretroplus, page 80
Three new species of
Paretroplus have been described since 2004.
Paretroplus gymnopreopercularis Sparks 2008
Described in ‘Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae and Taxonomic Revision of the Malagasy Cichlid Genus Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichlidae)’. This fish corresponds to
Paretroplus kieneri from Mangarahara and Ambomboa rivers. Book pp. 111-113.
Paretroplus lamenabe Sparks 2008
This fish corresponds to Paretrolplus aff. Trsimoly Mahajamba. Book pp. 127-129.
Paretroplus loisellei Sparks & Schelly 2011
This species seems close to Paretroplus damii but lives in the north-east of Madagascar in the Mahanara River that flows into the Indian Ocean. No personal experience with this species.
Potential new species
In October 2001, with the help of the local authority we managed to reach the Upper Kamoro River. This river was the rockiest I have ever seen and at the time of our visit, the end of the dry season, the water flow was minor and the water clear, but during the rains it is obvious that the river must be very wild with a strong current. The upper Kamoro River is completely isolated from the lower part by many rapids and a final waterfall approximately 10 meters high.
That makes it absolutely impossible for fishes of the lowland to reach the upper part of the river. The lower Kamoro River is a slow moving, murky river with a mud bottom and joins the Betsiboka. The fish fauna was not very diverse and included only native species. A species of Pachypanchax was common and I found one specimen of an Eleotris sp. Two Paretroplus species lived in the river. One, locally called Tsimoly, was very similar to Paretroplus tsimoly but somewhat different in its coloration. Its melanic marks were darker. The lips were black, not blue. The other species was part of the kieneri group. It was distinguished from the other known species of this group by a somewhat rounder body and its coloration a nice chocolate-brown which made some French aquarists dub it “kieneri chocolat”.
Because of the isolation of the upper Kamoro it is likely that this fish is a distinct species.
Reports that a Paretroplus nourissati-like fish lives in some tributaries of Lake Kinkony or close by streams were obtained by Paul Loiselle and by us. It is also not clear if the Paretroplus aff. nourissati found in Lake Tseny is a distinct species.
In the river Mahajamba, syntopic with Paretroplus lamenabe there is a large Paretroplus kieneri-type fish; adult size much larger than P. kieneri official species, and P. gymnopreopercularis. So, there is good reason for it to be a distinct species.
Some years ago, André Kiener gave me a slide I have very unfortunately lost, on which several recently caught Paretroplus baetsileanus were shown. The place was on the shores of the Mangoky River somewhere downriver of Fiaranantsu. The six or seven fishes in the picture, with a pronounced hump and black coloration were all alike the specimen of Ptychochromoides baetsileanus in André Kiener’s book ‚Poissons, pêches et pisciculture à Madagascar’.
In my opinion, it is identical to the Ptychochromoides we collected in 1994. But I now believe that the Ilanana Ptychochromoides male and female, plus the many young we caught in 1994 are not P. betsileanus but a distinct species endemic to the Onilahy drainage.
We have good reasons to believe that a Ptychochromoides species lives in the Manghoro River at the level of the Tananarivo-Tamatave bridge in a place called Ankarefo. Loiselle (pers. comm.) also reported that a Ptychochromoides species existed in the Ikopa rapids upper stream at Mavatanana.
Namorona Ptychochromis: In the Namorona River on the highlands before the rapids that brings the river down to Ranomafana, there existed a cichlid which was very probably a Ptychochromis species. We were informed of the existence of this cichlid by a young man called Etienne who was the keeper of a small aquaculture station situated downriver from Matuafana. We spared no efforts to try to collect this fish but were unfortunately unsuccessful. It seems that some years later Etienne managed to get a specimen he tried to forward to us but it was unfortunately lost.
How many Malagasy Cichlids?
Accepting only species of Malagasy cichlids given as valid in the ‘Catalog of fishes’ (W. Eschmeyer), we get a total of 28 species. Admitting with Sparks that Paratilapia comprises 11 distinct species gives us 38. Considering that some of the potential undescribed species I have mentioned exist (but there is high possibility that there are even more), more than 40 species of Malagasy cichlids exist.
Ptychochromis mainty is the last Malagasy cichlid species which has been described (2015) but it was certainly already collected by us in 1998. Unfortunately, for the past few years, foreign ichthyologists and aquarists have had difficulties collecting fishes in Madagascar. Young Malagasy specialists, with the help of Paul Loiselle, now try to fill the gaps but they lack support.
With 40-50 species of native cichlids, the diversity of these fishes is fairly high considering the area of Madagascar and is comparable to that of cichlids one could find in a similar area, West Africa for instance.
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