The 'haplochromine cichlids',
subfamily Haplochrominae, are a grouping of
genera including ''
Haplochromis'' plus a number of closely related genera (such as ''
Aulonocara'', ''
Astatotilapia'', and ''
Chilotiplapia'') endemic to eastern and southern
Africa. Haplochromines inhabit both rivers and lakes, but it is the lake species that have been most closely studied because of the
species flocks known from some of the larger lakes, such as
Lake Malawi. Haplochromines are therefore typically divided into four groups:
[1]
★ Riverine species and those
endemic to the northern Great Lakes such as
Lake Kivu and
Lake Victoria.
★ Haplochromines endemic to
Lake Malawi other than the
mbuna.
★ The
mbuna, endemic to
Lake Malawi.
★ Haplochromines endemic to
Lake Tanganyika.
In colloquial use, "haplochromines" tend to refer primarily to the open-water
piscivorous species as opposed to the
herbivorous rock-dwelling
mbuna.
References
1. Loiselle P. V.,: The Cichlid Aquarium, p. 170, Voyageur Press, ISBN 1-56465-146-0