| Oxylapia polli | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Subfamily: | Ptychochrominae |
| Genus: | Oxylapia |
| Species: | O. polli |
| Binomial name | |
| Oxylapia polli Kiener & Maugé, 1966 |
|
Oxylapia polli, known locally as the songatana, is a critically endangered species of fish in the cichlid family, and the only member of its genus. It is endemic to the Marolambo Rapids in the Nosivolo River (a tributary of the Mangoro River) in east-central Madagascar.[2] It is threatened by habitat loss and sedimentation caused by deforestation.[1] The only other single-species cichlid genus in Madagascar is Katria, and it is restricted to the same region as Oxylapia.[3] In 2010, the Nosivolo River was designated as a Ramsar Site.[4] The Oxylapia is the conservation flagship species for the district capital Marolambo.[4]
Oxylapia is a highly aggressive, elongate species that reaches about 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length.[2][5] It is the Malagasy cichlid most adapted to rheophilic conditions, but not the only (members of the lamena group in the genus Paretroplus are also rheophilic).[5]