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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Mylochromis sp. 'deep' Maleri Island.jpg Mylochromis sp. 'guentheri mbenjii' Maleri Island.jpg Nyassachromis sp. 'argyrosoma blue' Maleri Island.jpg Oreochromis karongae 'Maleri Island'.jpg Otopharynx cf. lithobates 'Maleri Island'.jpg
Previous pageNext pageNyassachromis sp. 'argyrosoma blue' Maleri Island
Genus: Nyassachromis
Biotope: Shallow waters of the South East Arm of Lake Malawi, recorded from catches down to 20 m and tentatively identified from trawls as deep as 60 m.
Geographic distribution: South East Arm of Lake Malawi; positively identified throughout this region.
Typical adult size: Up to 12 cm total length.
Sexual dimorphism: Ripe males silvery with nine faint vertical bars and a darker head featuring a metallic blue snout. Lips bright bluish white. Anal fin whitish proximally and darker distally with 0–3 large yellowish egg-spots, sometimes edged with orange. Dorsal and caudal fins dusky with dull orange spotting. Pelvic fins orange-yellow to dusky, black anteriorly. Specimens from Maleri show a blue head and dorsum with a yellow belly.
Diet: Stomach contents included small crustaceans, filamentous diatoms, chironomid larvae, copepods, and some algal material.
Special notes: A small elongate laterally compressed species with 10 lower gill rakers. Differs from related forms in body depth, snout shape, and coloration. Previously recorded as Otopharynx argyrosoma in fisheries records, but does not match the current definition of that genus due to the absence of a mid-lateral blotch. May represent part of a complex of similar species.

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Photo: © George Turner
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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