A new species of Benthochromis cichlid from Lake Tanganyika has been described by Tetsumi Takahashi of Kyoto University.
The new species, named Benthochromis horii, in honour of the first person to recognise its status as a distinct species (Michio Hori), is described in the latest issue of the Journal of Fish Biology.
Benthochromis horii is distinguished from the other two species in the genus (B. melanoides and B. tricoti) in having a smaller eye, longer snout (eye diameter smaller than vs. equal to or greater than snout length), and more dorsal fin rays (usually 30 or 31 vs. usually 28 or 29).
The number of outer teeth on the premaxillae tends to be smaller in the new species than in congeners, although the ranges largely overlap between species (46649 in B. horii vs. 54974 in B. tricoti and 53188 in B. melanoides).
Large males of the new species are also distinguished from those of the congeners by their longer pelvic fin (>30% standard length vs.