Serranochromis Regan 1920
Creators: name: Stauffer, Jay R.
name: Bills, Roger
name: Skelton, Paul H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Perciformes
Cichlidae
Serranochromis

description: Artificial key to the species of Serranochromis
1a. Teeth embedded in lips................................................................................. 2
1b. Teeth exposed........................................................................................ 3
2a. Body depth less than 40% SL............................................................ Serranochromis altus
2b. Body depth greater than 40% SL; found in Luapula River, Congo system.................... Serranochromis stappersi
3a. Series of blotches along flanks........................................................................... 4
3b No distinct blotches along flanks......................................................................... 5
4a Length of pectoral fin greater than 33% SL; males with silver/white ground colour........... Serranochromis longimanus
4b Length of pectoral fin less than 33% SL; males with blueish head.............................. Serranochromis alvum
5a Caudal fin rounded.................................................................................... 6
5b Caudal fin emarginated or rectangular.................................................................... 10
6a Ocelli in breeding males restricted to 4–5 posterior membranes................................................. 7
6b Ocelli in breeding males throughout anal fin................................................................ 8
7a. In fish greater than 100 mm SL, least caudal peduncle depth less than 12.8% SL; males blue/green laterally with a narrow yellow marginal band on the dorsal fin; native endemic to Lake Malaŵi; introduced elsewhere (e.g., Sand River Dam in Swa-ziland,, Komati River system in South Africa)............................................ Serranochromis robustus
7b. In fish greater than 100 mm SL least caudal peduncle depth greater than 13%; males yellow/green laterally with a bright orange marginal band on the dorsal fin in fish from the Okavango River system, but creamy yellow bands in fish from the Upper Zambezi River system; endemic to upper Zambezi Region, introduced into Zimbabwe ................. Serranochromis jallae
8a. Premaxillary pedicel greater than 40% of HL......................................... Serranochromis angusticeps
8b. Premaxillary pedicel less than 39% of HL.................................................................. 9
9a. Teeth in outer series of upper jaw 30–52; horizontal eye diameter 22–29 % HL............ Serranochromis macrocephalus
9b. Teeth in outer series of upper jaw 54–74; horizontal eye diameter 16–20 % HL................... Serranochromis janus
10a. Lateral-line scales greater than 39; dorsal-fin spines 17–18................................ Serranochromis thumbergi
10b. Lateral-line scales less than 38; dorsal-fin spines less than 17................................................. 11
11a. Lateral-line scales less than 34......................................................... Serranochromis cacuchi
11b. Lateral-line scales 34 or more.......................................................................... 12
12a. Snout length greater than 37% HL; endemic to southern Limpopo and Incomatic systems in...................... South Africa and Mozambique .......................................................... Serranochromis meridianus
12b. Snout length less than 36% HL......................................................................... 13
13a. Lower jaw length greater than 53% HL; endemic to the Kwanza system in Angola .................. Serranochromis spei
13b. Lower jaw length less than 53% HL.................................................... Serranochromis swartzi
description: Published as part of Stauffer, Jay R., Bills, Roger & Skelton, Paul H., 2021, Four new species of Serranochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Cuanza and Okavango river systems in Angola, including a preliminary key for the genus, pp. 66-84 in Zootaxa 4908 (1) on pages 82-83, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4908.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/4435769