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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Pseudotropheus benetos 'Chirwa Island'.jpg Pseudotropheus benetos 'Chitande Island'.jpg Pseudotropheus benetos 'Kirondo'.jpg
Next pagePseudotropheus benetos 'Chirwa Island'
Genus: Pseudotropheus
Type locality: Mphanga Rocks, Chilumba, Lake Malawi, Malawi.
Biotope: Shallow intermediate habitat, typically around rocky areas with crevices; type specimens were collected at about 10 m depth.
Geographic distribution: Western coast from Chirwa Island to Ngara and eastern (Tanzanian) coast from Manda to Nkanda in Lake Malawi.
Typical adult size: Up to approximately 10–11 cm total length.
Sexual dimorphism: Males are larger, more intensely blue and have longer fins than females.
Aquarium setup: Requires alkaline, moderately hard water at 23–26 °C with regular maintenance. Both males and females defend feeding territories, so sufficient rockwork and visual barriers should be provided.
Diet: Herbivorous “dolphin mbuna” feeding on aufwuchs. The elongated, narrow snout enables feeding from crevices, and algae are gripped using the sides of the pointed jaws.
Breeding: Maternal mouthbrooder. Males defend territories and spawning occurs in caves. Incubation lasts about three weeks, after which the female releases the fry and continues to guard them for a short period.
Aggression: Intraspecific and interspecific aggression is pronounced, although considered less aggressive than some closely related species. Females also defend feeding territories.
Special notes: Member of the “dolphin mbuna” group, characterized by an elongated, beak-like snout. The species was previously known as Pseudotropheus sp. ‘tursiops chitande’ and was originally described under Melanochromis before being reassigned to Pseudotropheus.

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Photo: © Mark Thomas
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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