Placidochromis nkhatae Hanssens 2004

Diagnosis: snout length 37.2 % head length; lower jaw length 33.8 % head length; outer oral teeth mixed unicuspid with some unequally bicuspid or shouldered bicuspid teeth; premaxillary pedicel length 27.6 % head length; cheek depth 26.5 % head length; interorbital width 24.2 % head length; lower pharyngeal teeth enlarged and molariform; body depth 37.8 %SL (Ref. 55898).Description: relatively heavy-built; dorsal body profile more strongly convex than ventral body profile; dorsal head profile almost straight, slightly concave between eyes; premaxillary pedicel prominent; jaws heavy; gape inclined at about 15-20° to horizontal; maxilla extending to vertical at anterior margin of eye; outer oral teeth large and robust, bicuspid or shouldered bicuspid anteriorly, quickly becoming unicuspid posteriorly; inner oral teeth much smaller than outer teeth, mixed tricuspid and unicuspid, slender; 3 series of scales on cheek; eye relatively small; upper margin of eye not touching dorsal head profile; lower pharyngeal jaw very robust with wide toothed area; central posterior teeth of lower pharyngeal jaw enlarged and molariform; gill-rakers on lower limb very short, most of them branched with 3 tips; upper gill-rakers somewhat longer, with a single tip (Ref. 55898).Coloration: Preserved: Immature male: body brownish yellow; 7 faint vertical bars below dorsal fin; dorsal fin pale greyish with darker grey tips; soft dorsal with oblique grey bands; caudal fin with grey spots on inter-radial membranes; anal and ventral fins with darker leading edge (Ref. 55898).

Dorsal spines (total): 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 3; Analsoft rays: 9