A review of the sand-dwelling species of the genus Aulonocara, with the description of three new species.
Summary
The genus Aulonocara can be divided into sev- eral groups, each containing several species with similar morphological and behavioural charac- teristics. The sand-dwelling species forage and breed in open habitats and the fact that they are caught frequently in beach seine nets led to some formal descriptions in the first half of this cen- tury. All the sand-dwelling Aulonocara discussed here inhabit the shallow waters (less than 50 metres depth) of Lake Malawi. Females and non- territorial males have a light sandy-yellow to sil- very coloration and are in general much lighter than the rock-dwelling species. No gross mor- phological distinction exists between these two groups.
Summary
The genus Aulonocara can be divided into sev- eral groups, each containing several species with similar morphological and behavioural charac- teristics. The sand-dwelling species forage and breed in open habitats and the fact that they are caught frequently in beach seine nets led to some formal descriptions in the first half of this cen- tury. All the sand-dwelling Aulonocara discussed here inhabit the shallow waters (less than 50 metres depth) of Lake Malawi. Females and non- territorial males have a light sandy-yellow to sil- very coloration and are in general much lighter than the rock-dwelling species. No gross mor- phological distinction exists between these two groups.