A new species ofLethrinops(Cichliformes: Cichlidae) from a Lake Malawi satellite lake, believed to be extinct in the wild

Abstract

A new species of cichlid fish, Lethrinops chilingali is described from specimens collected from Lake Chilingali, near Nkhotakota, Malawi. It is assigned to the genus Lethrinops based on the form of the lower jaw dental arcade and by the absence of traits diagnostic of the phenotypically similar Ctenopharynx, Taeniolethrinops and Tramitichromis. It also lacks the enlarged cephalic lateral line canal pores found in species of Alticorpus and Aulonocara. The presence of a broken horizontal stripe on the flanks of females and immature/non-territorial males of Lethrinops chilingali distinguishes them from all congeners, including Lethrinops lethrinus, in which the stripe is typically continuous. Lethrinops chilingali also has a relatively shorter snout, shorter lachrymal bone and less ventrally positioned mouth than Lethrinops lethrinus. It appears likely that Lethrinops chilingali is now extinct in the wild, as this narrow endemic species has not been positively recorded in the natural environment since 2009. Breeding populations remain in captivity.

A whole-body micro-CT scan library that captures the skeletal diversity of Lake Malawi cichlid fishes

“…Aulonocara stuartgranti and Aulonocara steveni would be particularly interesting future additions and could offer interesting morphological comparisons with deeper living species. Moreover, given that Lethrinops is polyphyletic 73,76 , additional sampling of Lethrinops species could provide morphological data to support future systematic studies.…”