malawi.si

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
By genera By locations Locations Maps Posters Interactive map
Protomelas dejunctus 'Chinyamwezi Island'.jpg Protomelas dejunctus 'Chinyankwazi Island'.jpg
Previous pageProtomelas dejunctus 'Chinyankwazi Island'
Genus: Protomelas
Type locality: Chinyamwezi Island, Lake Malawi, Malawi.
Biotope: Shallow rocky shores in the southeast arm of Lake Malawi at depths of 2–10 m, among boulders with algal growth; avoids open sandy areas.
Geographic distribution: Restricted to the waters surrounding Chinyankwazi and Chinyamwezi Islands, southeast arm of Lake Malawi.
Typical adult size: Up to 13.8 cm standard length.
Sexual dimorphism: Adult males display intense blue body coloration with red to orange highlights on the dorsal and anal fins and distinct egg-spots; females are olive-brown to greyish with more subdued coloration and faint barring.
Diet: Feeds primarily on plankton from the water column and supplements this with attached algae scraped from rocks.
Breeding: Maternal mouthbrooder. Males establish breeding territories on rocks in shallow water; females incubate eggs and fry in the buccal cavity.
Special notes: Described from the “Steveni Fire Blue” from Chinyankwazi and Chinyamwezi islands. Treated on tanganyika.si as a valid species, Protomelas dejunctus. Some other authors consider it a subspecies of Protomelas taeniolatus (Protomelas taeniolatus dejunctus).

Photo gallery

Photo: © Ad Konings
Photo: © Morgan Malvezzi
malawi.si
Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
All images are used with permission of the authors. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Quick links
By genera By locations Locations Maps Posters Interactive map
Contact
Email Facebook Instagram
© malawi.si