Note 2 - "Haplochromis" phenochilus generic assignment

Note 2 - "Haplochromis" phenochilus generic assignment Generic assignment of "Haplochromis" phenochilus

Eccles & Trewavas (1989) were unable to assign Haplochromis phenochilus Trewavas, 1935 to a genus because the holotype and only known specimen was a breeding male whose dark coloration obscured the color pattern. They therefore assigned it incertae sedis (of uncertain position) in the haplochromine flock as "Haplochromis" phenochilus. Konings rediscovered this species ". . . in the north-western part of the lake . . . near Mdoka, Chesese, Chirwa Island, and between Selewa and Kasinda." He found it to be vertically barred, and assigned it to Placidochromis on the basis of its superficial similarity to P. electra.

See Konings' excellent underwater photos of P. phenochilus and P. electra in his article The Blue Sanddwellers.

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