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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Diplotaxodon sp. 'bigeye blackdorsal' Nkhata Bay.jpg Diplotaxodon sp. 'brevimanus' Nkhata Bay.jpg Diplotaxodon sp. 'limnothrissa blackpelvic' Nkhata Bay.jpg Diplotaxodon sp. 'macrops north' Nkhata Bay.jpeg Diplotaxodon sp. 'ngulube' Nkhata Bay.jpeg
Previous pageNext pageDiplotaxodon sp. 'limnothrissa blackpelvic' Nkhata Bay
Genus: Diplotaxodon
Geographic distribution: Lake Malawi, northern basin; confirmed from Nkhata Bay northwards to Ngara and Chilumba.
Sexual dimorphism: Breeding males show a distinctive “reversed countershading” or “dorsal blaze” pattern, with a pale dorsum contrasting darker flanks and ventral surfaces, plus conspicuously dark pelvic fins; fine dark freckling on the dorsum may remain useful when breeding coloration is weak. Females and immature fish are predominantly silvery and countershaded with no diagnostic external markings reported.
Breeding: Maternal mouthbrooder.
Special notes: Females and juveniles cannot be reliably separated from Diplotaxodon limnothrissa by morphometrics or meristics and are diagnosable only with genomic data. Genetic analyses support reproductive isolation from D. limnothrissa and several other Diplotaxodon. Phylogenomic results (limited sampling) place this taxon basally within the Diplotaxodon/Pallidochromis clade, but additional genomes from males with well-developed breeding dress are needed to confirm this placement.

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Photo: © Martin Genner
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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