Updated 23 Aug. 2026
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Katria Stiassny & Sparks 2006 tautonymous with the only described species

Katria katria (Reinthal & Stiassny 1997) local name for this cichlid in the Marolambo region of eastern Madagascar, type locality

Oxylapia Kiener & Maugé 1966 oxýs (ὀξύς), sharp or pointed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to slender, elongate body (an adaptation to living in swift water); –lapia, perhaps referring to relationship with Paratilapia or to tilapia, Latinization of !api, !Kung word for fish (“!” pronounced as a click, transcribed as “ti”), often used as a catch-all term for African cichlids

Oxylapia polli Kiener & Maugé 1966 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), who studied African cichlids and guided the authors’ research

Paratilapia Bleeker 1868 pará (παρά), near, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its similarity to and/or presumed relationship with Tilapia (although Bleeker regarded it closest to Hemichromis, now in Pseudocrenilabrinae)

Paratilapia polleni Bleeker 1868 in honor of Dutch naturalist and merchant François Pollen (1842–1888), who collected holotype with Dutch explorer and naturalist Douwe Casparus van Dam (1827–1898) [see Paretroplus damii, Etroplinae]

Ptychochromis Steindachner 1880 ptychós (πτυχός), genitive of ptýx (πτύξ), layer or fold, presumably referring to compressed lamellar flap on first gill arch of P. oligacanthus; Chromis (now in Pomacentridae but historically included many African cichlids), referring to similar dentition to that genus

Ptychochromis curvidens Stiassny & Sparks 2006 curvus (L.), bent or curved; dens (L.), tooth, referring to its apomorphically recurved oral jaw dentition

Ptychochromis ernestmagnusi Sparks & Stiassny 2010 in honor of Ernest Magnus (1908-1983), a German-American marine biologist and ichthyologist, named at the request of Rudolf G. Arndt (1941–2019), German-born American biologist, whose “generous gift” supported the authors’ research (Magnus was Arndt’s uncle and was instrumental in helping Arndt’s family survive in Berlin after World War II and then immigrate to New York City in 1950, providing food, clothing, shelter, love, many kindnesses and moral support; R. G. Arndt, pers. comm.) [note: the authors misspelled Arndt’s first name as “Rudolph”]

Ptychochromis grandidieri Sauvage 1882 in honor of French naturalist and explorer Alfred Grandidier (1836–1921), who, along with Henri Joseph Léon Humblot (1852–1914), collected holotype

Ptychochromis inornatus Sparks 2002 Latin for undecorated or unadorned, referring to lack of lateral spotting or barring and overall plain appearance

Ptychochromis insolitus Stiassny & Sparks 2006 Latin for unusual or strange, referring to its “somewhat atypical appearance” compared with congeners (e.g., shallow bodied) and the “anomalous morphology” of the aquarium-raised specimens examined in the authors’ study (e.g., absence of a “free” second epibranchial toothplate, a diagnostic feature of the genus)

Ptychochromis loisellei Stiassny & Sparks 2006 in honor of Paul V. Loiselle (1945–2025), Emeritus Curator of Freshwater Fishes, New York Aquarium, who collected holotype, for his many contributions to the understanding and conservation of Madagascar’s freshwater fishes

Ptychochromis mainty Martinez, Arroyave & Sparks 2015 Malagasy word for black, referring to its uniform dark pigmentation pattern in alcohol and large black midlateral blotch in life

Ptychochromis makira Stiassny & Sparks 2006 named for the Makira region of northeastern Madagascar, where it appears to be endemic

Ptychochromis oligacanthus (Bleeker 1868) olígos (ὀλίγος), few or scanty; acanthus (L.), from ákantha (ἄκανθα), thorn, referring to reduced number of dorsal-fin spines compared with presumed congeners in Tilapia known at the time

Ptychochromis onilahy Stiassny & Sparks 2006 named for the Onilahy River, southwestern Madagascar, only known area of occurrence

Ptychochromoides Kiener & Maugé 1966 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (εἶδος), form or shape: referring to similarity to, and previous placement of P. betsileanus in, Ptychochromis

Ptychochromoides betsileanus (Boulenger 1899) -anus (L.), belonging to: Betsileo region, southern central highlands of Madagascar, type locality

Ptychochromoides itasy Sparks 2004 named for Lake Itasy, a crater lake in the central highlands of Madagascar, type locality (where it is now extirpated)

Ptychochromoides vondrozo Sparks & Reinthal 2001 named for Vondrozo, nearest village to type locality (Ramanara River, Fianarantsoa Province), southeastern Madagascar