Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Nyassachromis breviceps (Nyassachromis breviceps), recorded as Critically Endangered
Nyassachromis breviceps (Nyassachromis breviceps). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Nyassachromis breviceps

Nyassachromis breviceps

Nyassachromis breviceps is a cichlid that is endemic to Lake Malawi, where it is only found in the southern part of the lake.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Nyassachromis breviceps
Taxonomy
Perciformes · Cichlidae · Nyassachromis

The cichlid

This species can reach a length of 15.4 centimetres (6.1 in) in total length.

Range and habitat

N. Breviceps is endemic to the southern portion of Lake Malawi. Nyassachromis breviceps is a cichlid that is endemic to Lake Malawi, where it is only found in the southern part of the lake. This species was last observed in Lake Malawi in 1997 and is thought that it may be extinct, caused by overexploitation by artisanal fishermen.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

The males dig a cave beside a rock to form their spawning site. Its breeding season is August to December.

The species faced a steep population decline as a result of overfishing. No individuals have been collected since 1997, and a breeding group was last seen in 1988. It prefers areas with sandy substrates but needs a supply of small pebbles for nest building.

In crisis

Nyassachromis breviceps is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Nyassachromis breviceps, Wikidata item Q2702371. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Also in this catalog

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Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
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Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Nyassachromis breviceps?
Nyassachromis breviceps is a cichlid in the family Cichlidae (order Perciformes).
What is the conservation status of Nyassachromis breviceps?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Nyassachromis breviceps. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Nyassachromis breviceps live?
Nyassachromis breviceps is a cichlid that is endemic to Lake Malawi, where it is only found in the southern part of the lake.
Why is Nyassachromis breviceps in crisis?
This species was last observed in Lake Malawi in 1997 and is thought that it may be extinct, caused by overexploitation by artisanal fishermen.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Nyassachromis breviceps?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Nyassachromis breviceps a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.