Congochromis, STIASSNY & SCHLIEWEN, 2007

STIASSNY, MELANIE L. J. & SCHLIEWEN, ULRICH K., 2007, Congochromis, a New Cichlid Genus (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Central Africa, with the Description of a New Species from the Upper Congo River, Democratic Republic of Congo, American Museum Novitates 3576, pp. 1-16 : 4-5

Congochromis , new genus

Type species: Congochromis squamiceps (Boulenger, 1902) [Type locality: Lindi , Lindi River, Upper Congo, Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo)] .

Included species: C. dimidiatus (Pellegrin, 1900) , C.

sabinae (Lamboj, 2005), C. pugnatus , n.sp.

Congochromis is diagnosed by the following combination of apomorphic features: four pores in the dentary laterosensory canal ( fig. 1 , *3 1 vs. five pores, *3 0), absence of a laterosensory canal in the angulo-articular ( fig. 1 , *4 1 vs. *4 0), and six pores in the preopercle laterosensory canal ( fig. 1 , *5 1 vs. seven pores, *5 0).

The following combination of features distinguishes Congochromis from Nanochromis : only the last three to five pored scales of the upper lateral line are contiguous with the dorsal-fin base (vs. at least the posterior half of the upper lateral line contiguous); fully scaled nape, and partially scaled chest and cheek (vs. an asquamate nape, chest, and cheek); jaw teeth relatively robust unicuspids, not closely spaced (vs. extremely fine, closely spaced unicuspids); and the presence of a small, supraneural bone (vs. absence).

Figures

Fig. 1. Isolated infraorbital series, oral jaws, and suspensoria of (A) Congochromis dimidiatus, AMNH