AquaticRepublic.com - Zaireichthys monomotapa (Amphiliidae) All Fishes

Middle Zambezi, Revuboe R. (-16.1021, 33.6835)

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Zaireichthys monomotapa** Eccles, Tweddle & Skelton, 2011
Common Name
Type Locality	Save River in eastern Zimbabwe.
Synonym(s)	Zaireichthys monomotapia, Zaireichthys rhodesiensis
Pronunciation	za eer ICK thiss
Etymology	Zaireichthys: From the Zaire river and the Greek ichthys, meaning fish; in reference to the type of the genus and its collection locality. Named after the historical Kingdom of Monomotapa, ‘Monomotapa’ being the old Portuguese spelling. This encompassed the area currently occupied by Mozambique and Zimbabwe and thus almost all of the distribution of this species.
Species Information
Size	38mm or 1.5" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	The majority of species are small and compact, have a defense mechanism of three ossified spines in the dorsal and pectoral fins,being able to lock them into place which makes the genus different from all other Amphiliidae. Ground color pale brownish, head brownish. A series of darker bars across the dorsal surface of the body, often with paler centres on the lateral parts.About eight dark patches, often elongated, mid-laterally along the flanks, the first below the dorsal fin and the last at the end of the caudal peduncle. A third series of small faint spots ventro-laterally from above the pelvic to the caudal peduncle. Honde River specimens tend to have longer barbels, pectoral- and pelvic-fin rays, and the longest dorsal-fin rays than other populations.
Sexing	There is a tendency for the rays of the dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins to be longer in males, although this is only clearly demonstrated in a few instances where large numbers of both sexes have been collected together.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Widespread in the tributaries of the middle and lower Zambezi River, and the Pungwe, Buzi and Save river basins to the south of this, also found in the Lake Malawi basin in the South Rukuru River along with Z. maravensis.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2018.
Husbandry Information
Furniture	In nature the majority of species are found over or in sand in flowing rivers. There is one known lake dwelling species from Lake Malawi which is also found over sand and living in snail shells.
Breeding	Unreported in the aquarium.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Smithiana, Publications in Aquatic Biodiversity, Bulletin No. 13, pp 16, Figs. 3E, 14-16.
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There is but a single record of this fish being seen, view it.
Forum BBCode

	Look up Z. monomotapa on PlanetCatfish.com
	Look up Z. monomotapa on Fishbase
	Look up Z. monomotapa on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up Z. monomotapa on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.24.126.3987
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 00:46 (species record created: 2011 Sep 23 20:21)