A revision of the genus Docimodus Boulenger (Pisces: Cichlidae), a group of fishes with unusual feeding habits from Lake Malawi

Abstract

The definition of the genus Docimodus is revised so that it can accommodate an additional species. The description of the type species D. johnstonii is expanded and a new species, D. evelynae, described and illustrated. Examination of stomach contents reveal that D. johnstonii feeds mainly upon the fins of clariid catfishes and D. evelynae upon the flank scales of cichlids or cyprinids and the skin of catfishes. The high proportion of trawl caught catfish bearing wounds characteristic of attack by Docimodus suggest that the latter are more abundant than their low catches would suggest.