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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Petrotilapia chrysos 'Chinyankwazi Island'.jpg Placidochromis sp. 'chinyankwazi' Chinyankwazi Island.jpg Protomelas dejunctus 'Chinyankwazi Island'.jpg Tropheops sp. 'chinyankwazi' Chinyankwazi Island.jpg
Previous pageNext 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).

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Photo: © Ad Konings
Photo: © Morgan Malvezzi
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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