View source for Serranochromis

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}
{{Automatic_taxobox
| image = Serranochromis robustus.jpg
| image2 = Serranochromis macrocephalus.jpg
| image2_caption = ''S. jallae''<!-- formerly considered a subspecies of S. robustus --> (above)<br> ''S. macrocephalus'' (below)
| taxon = Serranochromis
| authority = [[Charles Tate Regan|Regan]], 1920
| type_species = ''Chromys thumbergi''
| type_species_authority = [[Francis de Laporte de Castelnau|Castelnau]], 1861
}}

'''''Serranochromis''''' is a [[genus]] of relatively large, robust [[cichlid]]s from freshwater habitats in mainland [[Southern Africa]], ranging as far north as [[DR Congo]] and [[Tanzania]], with the highest [[species richness]] in the upper [[Zambezi]], [[Okavango Basin|Okavango]] and [[Congo River|Congo]] basins.<ref name=fishbase>{{FishBase genus | genus = Serranochromis| month = October | year = 2019}}</ref><ref name=Winemiller1991>{{cite journal| author=Winemiller, K.O. | year=1991 | title=Comparative ecology of Serranochromis species (Teleostei: Cichlidae) in the Upper Zambezi River floodplain | journal=Journal of Fish Biology | volume=39 | issue=5 | pages=617–639 | doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.1991.tb04393.x }}</ref> They are typically known as '''largemouths''' or, especially among fishers, '''breams''' (although unrelated to other fish known as "[[bream]]").<ref name=fishbase/><ref name=HansfordSteele2013>{{cite book| author=Hansford-Steele, B. | year=2013 | title=African fly-fishing handbook: A guide to freshwater and saltwater fly-fishing in Africa | publisher=Struik Publishers | isbn=9781432302290 }}</ref> ''Serranochromis'' are mostly [[piscivore]]s and they are important in local fisheries.<ref name=Winemiller1991/>

==Habitat==
''Serranochromis'' live in a wide variety of freshwater habitats, ranging from shallow, heavily vegetated waters to deep, open waters. This includes main river channels, backwaters, floodplains, lakes and lagoons, but only a few of the species have been recorded in fast-flowing waters.<ref name=Winemiller1991/><ref name=KelsoWinemiller1991>{{cite journal| author1=Winemiller, I.K.O. | author2=L.C. Kelso-Winemiller | year=1991 | title=Serranochromis altus, a New Species of Piscivorous Cichlid (Teleostei: Perciformes) from the Upper Zambezi River | journal=Copeia | volume=1991 | issue=3 | pages=675–686 | doi=10.2307/1446393 | jstor=1446393 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| author1=Thorstad, E.B. | author2=C.J. Hay | author3=T.F. Næsje | author4=B. Chanda | author5=F. Økland | year=2005 | title=Movement and habitat utilization of nembwe, Serranochromis robustus (Gunther 1864), in the Upper Zambezi River | journal=African Zoology | volume=40 | issue=2 | pages=253–259 | doi=10.1080/15627020.2005.11407324 | s2cid=84080641 }}</ref> Smaller ''Serranochromis'' tend to avoid open waters if [[Hydrocynus vittatus|common tigerfish]]<!-- formerly confused with H. forskahlii, which is absent from most of Southern Africa --> are present,<ref>{{FishBase | genus = Serranochromis | species = thumbergi | month = October | year = 2019}}</ref> but the largest ''Serranochromis'' are generally too large to be considered typical prey to common tigerfish and they co-exist in the same habitat.<ref name=Winemiller1991/>

==Appearance and behavior==
Depending on the exact species of ''Serranochromis'', the maximum length is between {{cvt|25|and(-)|56|cm|in|0}},<ref name=fishbase/> and the largest species can reach up to {{cvt|7|kg|lb}} in weight.<ref name=HansfordSteele2013/>

They feed almost entirely on small fish, especially other cichlids, [[cyprinid]]s, [[Mormyridae|elephantfish]] and [[Synodontis|squeaker catfish]], but some will also take invertebrates.<ref name=Winemiller1991/><ref name=HansfordSteele2013/> Although all will take most types of small fish, there is a level of specialisation: ''S. altus'' is [[nocturnal]] or [[Crepuscular animal|crepuscular]], similar to its main prey, the elephantfish. ''S. angusticeps'' is well-camouflaged among dense aquatic vegetation, which allows it to slowly approach its main prey, small cyprinids. ''S. jallae''<!-- formerly considered a subspecies of S. robustus --> has a particularly robust mouth and teeth suitable for dealing with its main prey, the spiny and heavily armored squeaker catfish (however, young ''S. jallae'' mostly feed on small cyprinids and aquatic insects).<ref name=Winemiller1991/>

''Serranochromis'' are [[mouthbrooder]]s and most—if not all—species are seasonal breeders that begin spawning around the end of the low water period. They generally reach maturity when two or three years old.<ref name=Winemiller1991/>

==Fishing and conservation status==
''Serranochromis'' support important [[Commercial fishing|commercial]] and [[Artisanal fishing|subsistence fisheries]],<ref name=Winemiller1991/> and are also valued as [[game fish]].<ref name=HansfordSteele2013/> ''S. jallae''<!-- formerly considered a subspecies of S. robustus --> has been [[Introduced species|introduced]] for fishing to some places in Southern Africa outside its original range and in these places it can have an adverse effect on small native fish, especially cyprinids.<ref>{{cite journal| author1=Gratwicke, B. | author2=B.E. Marshall | year=2005 | title=The relationship between the exotic predators Micropterus salmoides and Serranochromis robustus and native stream fishes in Zimbabwe | journal=Journal of Fish Biology | volume=58 | issue=1 | pages=68–75 | doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2001.tb00499.x }}</ref> Conversely, ''S. robustus'' has declined drastically in its native range due to [[overfishing]], leading the [[IUCN]] to rate it as [[critically endangered]]. ''S. meridianus'' is considered [[Endangered species|endangered]] due to [[habitat degradation]] and the poorly known ''S. janus'' is considered [[data deficient]] (available information is insufficient for determining its conservation status), while the remaining species in the genus are [[least concern]] (not threatened).<ref name=IUCN>{{cite web| author=IUCN | year=2019 | title=Serranochromis | url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Serranochromis&searchType=species | publisher=The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | version=2019-2 | accessdate=2 October 2019 }}</ref>

==Species and taxonomy==
{{multiple image | direction = horizontal | image1 = Serranochromis altus.jpg | image2 = Serranochromis angusticeps.jpg | width1 = 225 | width2 = 225 | footer = ''S. altus'' (right) and ''S. angusticeps'' (left) were confused until 1991 and their [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]] is quite similar, but they do differ in certain [[morphometrics]], color, habitat preference and feeding behavior<ref name=KelsoWinemiller1991/> }}

According to [[FishBase]], there are currently 11 recognized species in this genus:<ref name=fishbase/>

* ''[[Serranochromis altus]]'' <small>[[Kirk Owen Winemiller|Winemiller]] & [[Leslie Caroline Kelso-Winemiller|Kelso-Winemiller]], 1991</small> (Humpback largemouth)
* ''[[Serranochromis angusticeps]]'' <small>([[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1907)</small> (Speckleface bream,<ref>[https://www.gbif.org/species/2369975 ''Serranochromis angusticeps'' (Boulenger, 1907)] in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2021-04-10</ref> thinface cichlid)
* ''[[Serranochromis jallae]]'' <small>([[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1896)</small> (Nembwe)
* ''[[Serranochromis janus]]'' <small>[[Ethelwynn Trewavas|Trewavas]],  1964</small>
* ''[[Serranochromis longimanus]]'' <small>([[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1911)</small> (Longfin largemouth)
* ''[[Serranochromis macrocephalus]]'' <small>([[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1899)</small> (Purpleface largemouth)
* ''[[Serranochromis meridianus]]'' <small>[[Reginald Arthur Jubb|R. A. Jubb]], 1967</small> (Lowveld largemouth)
* ''[[Serranochromis robustus]]'' <small>([[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1864)</small> (Yellow-belly bream)
* ''[[Serranochromis spei]]'' <small>[[Ethelwynn Trewavas|Trewavas]],  1964</small>
* ''[[Serranochromis stappersi]]'' <small>[[Ethelwynn Trewavas|Trewavas]],  1964</small>
* ''[[Serranochromis thumbergi]]'' <small>([[Francis de Laporte de Castelnau|Castelnau]], 1861)</small> (Brownspot largemouth)

[[File:Serranochromis thumbergi (Castelnau, 1861) collected in Zambia by South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity3.jpg|thumb|''[[Serranochromis thumbergi]]'' collected in [[Lavushi Manda National Park]], [[Zambia]], by the [[South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity]]]]
A few other, possibly [[undescribed species]] are known from the genus.<ref name=Joyce2005>{{cite journal| author1=Joyce, D.A. | author2=D.H. Lunt | author3=R. Bills | author4=G.F. Turner | author5=C. Katongo | author6=N. Duftner | author7=C. Sturmbauer | author8=O. Seehause | year=2005 | title=An extant cichlid fish radiation emerged in an extinct Pleistocene lake | journal=Nature | volume=435 | issue=7038 | pages=90–95 | doi=10.1038/nature03489 | pmid=15875022 | bibcode=2005Natur.435...90J | s2cid=4313746 | url=http://doc.rero.ch/record/15299/files/PAL_E2598.pdf }}</ref><ref name=Musilova2013>{{cite journal| author1=Musilová, Z. | author2=L. Kalous | author3=M. Petrtýl | author4=P. Chaloupková | year=2013 | title=Cichlid Fishes in the Angolan Headwaters Region: Molecular Evidence of the Ichthyofaunal Contact between the Cuanza and Okavango-Zambezi Systems | journal=PLOS ONE | volume=8 | issue=5 | page=e65047 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0065047 | pmid=23724120 | pmc=3664563 | bibcode=2013PLoSO...865047M | doi-access=free }}</ref> Furthermore, the [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] of the ''S. macrocephalus'' and  ''S. robustus'' [[Species complex|complexes]] is not fully resolved. Based on [[mtDNA]], both are [[polyphyletic]].<ref name=Joyce2005/><ref name=Musilova2013/> A partial solution to the ''S. robustus'' complex has been to recognize ''jallae'' as its own species,<ref name=fishbase/><ref name=IUCN/> instead of the traditional treatment where it was considered a [[subspecies]] of ''S. robustus''.<ref name=COF>{{Catalog of Fishes |genus=Serranochromis | access-date=2 October 2019}}</ref>

Additionally, ''[[Sargochromis]]'' (the "smallmouths"; found in the same overall region and mostly feed on invertebrates) has been considered a subgenus of ''Serranochromis'',<ref name=Winemiller1991/> but today it is generally recognized as a separate genus.<ref>{{Cof record|genid=9095|title=''Sargochromis''|access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref> These genera, along with ''[[Chetia]]'', ''[[Pharyngochromis]]'' and others, form a group sometimes known as the serranochromines or Serranochromini.<ref name=Joyce2005/><ref>{{cite journal| author=Greenwood, P.H. | year=1993 | title=A review of the serranochromine cichlid fish genera ''Pharyngochromis'', ''Sargochromis'', ''Serranochromis'' and ''Chetia'' (Teleostei: Labroidei) | journal=Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Zool. | volume=59 | issue=1 | pages=33–44 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| author1=Bouckaert, R. | author2=M. Steel | author3=W. Salzburger | author4=Z. Starostová | author5=J.M.I. Barth | author6=Z. Musilová | author7=M. Matschiner | year=2017 | title=Bayesian Phylogenetic Estimation of Clade Ages Supports Trans-Atlantic Dispersal of Cichlid Fishes | journal=Systematic Biology | volume=66 | issue=1 | pages=3–22 | doi=10.1093/sysbio/syw076 | pmid=28173588 | doi-access=free | hdl=10852/59576 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> How many other genera that are included varies, with some defining the group relatively narrowly and others broadly.<ref name=Musilova2013/> [[Genetics|Genetic]] evidence indicates that several genera in this group, including ''Serranochromis'', are not [[monophyletic]].<ref name=Joyce2005/><ref name=Musilova2013/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Serranochromis}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2704866}}

[[Category:Serranochromis| ]]
[[Category:Haplochromini]]
[[Category:Cichlid fish of Africa]]
[[Category:Cichlid genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Tate Regan]]
[[Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot]]