Docimodus johnstoni Boulenger, 1897
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Docimodus johnstoni is a species of haplochromine cichlid. It is known from Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe, and the upper Shire River in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. This species has unusual feeding habits: it is reported to feed on fins of clariid catfishes. The specific name honours the British explorer, botanist, linguist and Colonial administrator, Sir Henry Hamilton Johnston (also known as Sir Harry Johnston) (12 June 1858 – 31 July 1927), who presented the type to the British museum.
Wikipedia contributors, Docimodus johnstoni; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:33:15.514385+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Docimodus johnstoni Boulenger, 1897
- Name authority
- Boulenger, 1897
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Docimodus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCichliformes
- familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyPseudocrenilabrinae Fowler, 1934
- genusDocimodus Boulenger, 1897
- speciesDocimodus johnstoni Boulenger, 1897
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Docimodus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Docimodus evelynae Eccles & Lewis, 1976 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Docimodus johnstonii Boulenger, 1897 Boulenger, 1897 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Boulenger, G. A. (1897). Descriptions of new fishes from the Upper Shiré River, British Central Africa, collected by Dr. Percy Rendall, and presented to the British Museum by Sir Harry H. Johnston, K. C. B. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1896 (pt 4) (art. 2): 915–920, Pl. 47. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:372T4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.