| Trematocranus placodon | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Trematocranus |
| Species: | T. placodon |
| Binomial name | |
| Trematocranus placodon (Regan, 1922) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Trematocranus placodon is a species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe and the upper reaches of the Shire River in Africa. It is mainly a shallow-water species that prefers to occupy areas with patches of Vallisneria, but it can occur as deep as 31 m (102 ft). It can reach a total length of up to 25 cm (9.8 in).
It feeds mainly on aquatic snails and has a preference for Bulinus nyassanus, making this cichlid beneficial to humans as that snail is an intermediate host of the parasite bilharzia (schistosomiasis). It has been suggested that an increase in bilharzia in Lake Malawi has been caused by overfishing of this and other snail-eating cichlids. It is mainly caught as a food fish, but also for the aquarium trade. Although it has seriously declined in some regions, overall it remains widespread and it is considered a species of least concern by the IUCN.
References
- ^ Konings, A.; Kazembe, J. (2019). "Trematocranus placodon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T60948A155046291. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T60948A155046291.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Trematocranus placodon". FishBase. April 2013 version.
- Evers, B.N.; Madsen, H.; McKaye, K.M.; Stauffer, J.R. Jr. (2006). "The schistosome intermediate host, Bulinus nyassanus, is a 'preferred' food for the cichlid fish, Trematocranus placodon, at Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi". Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 100 (1): 75–85. doi:10.1179/136485906X78553. PMID 16417717. S2CID 37043728.
- Madsen, H.; Stauffer, J.R. Jr. (2011). "The burrowing behaviour of Bulinus nyassanus, intermediate host of Schistosoma haematobium, in Lake Malaŵi". African Journal of Aquatic Science. 37 (1): 113–116. doi:10.2989/16085914.2012.666383. S2CID 55896242.
- ^ Stauffer, J.R.; and H. Madsen (2012). Schistosomiasis in Lake Malawi and the Potential Use of Indigenous Fish for Biological Control. Pp. 119—140 in: Rokni, M.B., editor. Schistosomiasis. ISBN 978-953-307-852-6.
| Taxon identifiers | |
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| Trematocranus placodon | |
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