Paretroplus dambabe is an endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 species of cichlid

Cichlid

Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...

 fish from the Mahavavy du Sud river basin, including Lake Kinkony

Lake Kinkony

Lake Kinkony is a large lake in northwestern part of Madagascar, in the Mahajanga Province. It is located at around and has an area of about 100 km². The lake is an important wetland site for birds....

, in northwestern Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

. It has declined drastically due to habitat loss, invasive species

Invasive species

"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

 and over-fishing. This relatively large and deep-bodied Paretroplus

Paretroplus

Paretroplus is a genus of fishes in the cichlid family, all of which are endemic to lakes and rivers of Madagascar. The vast majority are threatened and restricted to the northwestern part of the island. Only P. polyactis is found in the southern half of Madagascar and only P. polyactis and P....

reaches almost 19 centimetres (7.5 in) in length. Although collected as early as the 1960s, it was long confused with P. petiti

Kotso

The kotso is a species of cichlid fish from northwestern Madagascar. Currently rated as data deficient by the IUCN, this species is virtually unknown. The only known specimen is a juvenile that was collected more than 80 years ago...

and therefore only described as a species in 2002.

In the aquarium

This tends to be an aggressive cichlid, especially during mating. It is important that at least 6 individuals are kept. Otherwise, the risk of having one fish being picked on and killed will increase. They are very easily susceptible to disease Ich.