Hemitaeniochromis brachyrhynchus Oliver, 2012

Open encyclopedia reference

Hemitaeniochromis brachyrhynchus is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. Its specific epithet brachyrhynchus (meaning: short snout) refers to the most distinctive characteristic of this species, the reduced length of the head in front of the eye (Oliver 2012: 42). Prior to the formal description of this species in 2012, the specimen which became the paratype was provisionally called Hemitaeniochromis sp. 'insignis big eye' (Snoeks & Hanssens 2004: 284 & fig. 52); however, the species has no accepted common name. This species is suspected of being paedophagous, because it shares attributes of its dentition, a heavy dentary or lower jaw, and thickened oral mucous membrane in which the teeth are buried, all characteristics found especially in other known paedophagous cichlids (Oliver 2012: 45). However, this diet has not been confirmed since neither behavioral observation nor analysis of its stomach contents has been possible. It has been found only at two widely separated localities in Malawi, Thumbi Island West at Cape Maclear and Nkhata Bay.

Wikipedia contributors, Hemitaeniochromis brachyrhynchus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:46:57.918333+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Hemitaeniochromis brachyrhynchus Oliver, 2012

Name authority

Oliver, 2012

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Cichliformes

Family

Cichlidae

Genus

Hemitaeniochromis

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderCichliformes
11. familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
12. subfamilyPseudocrenilabrinae Fowler, 1934
13. genusHemitaeniochromis Eccles & Trewavas, 1989
14. speciesHemitaeniochromis brachyrhynchus Oliver, 2012

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Hemitaeniochromis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 1,355 records assigned to Cichlidae.

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.

1. Oliver, M. K. (2012). Hemitaenichromis brachyrhynchus, a new species of cichlid fish from Lake Malawi, with comments on some other supposed members of the genus (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Zootaxa, 3410: 35–50. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3410.1.3 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:3KT4J. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.