Labidochromis vellicans, photo from Ribbink et al. (1983)
 

Above: Labidochromis vellicans, a male photographed underwater at Monkey Bay, Malawi. Below: The lectotype of Labidochromis vellicans (a female, 56.2 mm SL; BMNH 1935.6.14: 326), from Nkudzi Bay, Malawi. Photo from Plate 10e and drawing from Fig. 1 of Lewis (1982).

In selecting the syntype pictured below as the lectotype of Trewavas's species L. vellicans, Lewis violated Recommendation 74B of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ("Figured specimen. — A zoologist should choose as lectotype a syntype of which a figure has been published, if such exists"). Trewavas (1935) did publish such a figure (fig. 7) of a different L. vellicans syntype, which Lewis referred to his species L. shiranus. Nevertheless, since the Code passage quoted above is only a recommendation, Lewis's lectotype designation for L. vellicans was not invalidated by his decision, and does fix the identity of L. vellicans as the short-snouted, small species illustrated above and below.
 

Labidochromis vellicans, drawing of lectotype from Ribbink et al. (1983)

 


 

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The Cichlid Fishes of Lake Malawi, Africa:  MalawiCichlids.com

Last Update: 20 November 1999
Web Author: M. K. Oliver, Ph.D.
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