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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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Territorial males are most common at about 5–10 m depth, while females and juveniles often forage in very shallow rocky areas.
Individuals matching the island populations are reported between Chimwalani Reef (Malawi) and just south of the Chiloelo River (Mozambique), with further occurrence northwards towards Metangula where male coloration varies and females are mostly silvery-gray.
Females remain about 15% smaller than males.
In populations south of the Chiloelo River, males are blue to blue-black with 7–9 dark bars, while adult females are yellow to golden with a melanin pattern of two horizontal rows of spots and usually 7–9 vague vertical bars; mouthbrooding females may appear dirty yellow-gray.
In populations north of the Chiloelo River, males may show a yellow belly and yellow dorsal fin, while females are described as more silvery-gray.
Keep only one male, as males are described as likely to be permanently territorial in the aquarium.
When a female is mouthbrooding, it is advised to separate her from the male (e.g., by moving her to a nursery tank or removing the male until fry are released).
In the aquarium, algae-based foods such as spirulina flakes or sticks are recommended, and soft, easily digestible high-protein foods (e.g., mosquito larvae, worms, adult brine shrimp) are cautioned against due to long-term digestive problems.
Spawning takes place inside the male’s cave; females may visit several males for fertilization.
Females are mouthbrooders, with incubation stated as about three weeks, after which fry are released and immediately abandoned; in southern populations the fry are described as bright yellow and are released at the same depth as the adults.
It was formerly known in the aquarium trade as Petrotilapia sp. “gold”; collection from Chinyankwazi and Chinyamwezi ended after these islands became protected under Lake Malawi National Park regulations (1986).
A definitive test of separation from P. nigra is described as lacking, with mate-choice experiments noted as an important but unperformed approach for evaluating species boundaries.
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