Above:Copadichromis geertsi (which has been known as
Copadichromis "virginalis blotch"), another of three new Utaka species
described by Konings (1999).
(The others are
C. trewavasae and
C. ilesi.).
The colorful fish is a male, photographed underwater at Gome, Malawi (the
type locality). The pale fish with spots is a female, also from Gome,
Malawi. (Konings did not identify either of the illustrated fishes as
type specimens; the types are deposited in the Musée royal de
l'Afrique Centrale in Tervuren, Belgium.)
Konings' diagnosis reads:
A small to medium-sized cichlid of the genus Copadichromis with
two, sometimes only one, distinct spots on the flank, dark pigmented
males with a light blue to yellow upper anterior body and dorsal fin,
and attaining about 128 mm in SL. It differs from other
Copadichromis species with two spots by the male breeding color
(black with a light blue to yellow 'blaze' on head and dorsum). It has
more gill rakers (23 to 25) than C. pleurostigma (17 to 18) and
a shorter caudal peduncle (6.9 to 7.4 in SL) than
C. likomae
(5.6 to 6.8 in SL). It has longer pectoral fins (2.5 to 2.8 in SL) than
C. jacksoni
(3.1 to 3.8 in SL) and males have longer pelvic fins
(1.9 to 2.0 in SL) than
C. pleurostigmoides (more than 2.15 times
in SL); females and immature males lack the yellow color in the anal fin
seen in C. pleurostigmoides.(Konings, 1999)
A valuable part of Konings' 1999 paper is the revised key to
his concept of Copadichromis, which excludes striped
species (but not unmarked ones). However, the publishers
unfortunately introduced errors into the key; for corrections,
see my note on this and other editorial
gaffes in the article.
Photos by Ad Konings, used by his kind permission and that of
T.F.H. Publications, Inc.
