Paretroplus nourissati, the lamena, is a species of cichlid from the vicinity of the confluence of the Amboaboa and Mangarahara Rivers near Mandritsara in northern Madagascar.Sparks, J. S. (2008). Phylogeny of the Cichlid Subfamily Etroplinae and Taxonomic Revision of the Malagasy Cichlid Genus Paretroplus (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History Number 314 :1-151 This relatively elongate Paretroplus reaches about in length, and is closely related to P. lamenabe and P.tsimoly. P. nourissati is threatened by habitat loss and invasive species.
Like other members of the lamena group, it is a rheophile (although less so than Oxylapia polli), and typically found in river sections that are shallow, clear and fast-flowing. P. gymnopreopercularis is found in the same region, but it appears to be restricted to deeper pools in the river. A member of another cichlid genus, Ptychochromis insolitus, is also restricted to the region.Stiassny, M., and Sparks, J. S. (2006). Phylogeny and Taxonomic Revision of the Endemic Malagasy Genus Ptychochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae), with the Description of Five New Species and a Diagnosis for Katria, New Genus. American Museum Novitates 3535.
The specific name honours the cichlid aquarist Jean Claude Nourissat (1942-2003).
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