Trematocranus placodon is a species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe and the upper reaches of the Shire River in Africa. It is mainly a shallow-water species that prefers to occupy areas with patches of Vallisneria, but it can occur as deep as 31 m (102 ft).[1][2] It can reach a total length of up to 25 cm (9.8 in).[2]
Trematocranus placodon | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cichliformes |
Family: | Cichlidae |
Genus: | Trematocranus |
Species: | T. placodon
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Binomial name | |
Trematocranus placodon (Regan, 1922)
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Synonyms | |
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It feeds mainly on aquatic snails and has a preference for Bulinus nyassanus, making this cichlid beneficial to humans as that snail is an intermediate host of the parasite bilharzia (schistosomiasis).[1][3] It has been suggested that an increase in bilharzia in Lake Malawi has been caused by overfishing of this and other snail-eating cichlids.[4][5] It is mainly caught as a food fish, but also for the aquarium trade.[1][2][5] Although it has seriously declined in some regions, overall it remains widespread and it is considered a species of least concern by the IUCN.[1]