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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Sciaenochromis sp. 'elongate' Nkhata Bay.jpg Taeniolethrinops laticeps 'Nkhata Bay'.jpg Tramitichromis brevis 'Nkhata Bay'.jpg Trematocranus placodon 'Nkhata Bay'.jpg Tropheops sp. 'band' Nkhata Bay.jpg
Previous pageNext pageTramitichromis brevis 'Nkhata Bay'
Genus: Tramitichromis
Type locality: Lake Malawi.
Biotope: Muddy bottoms between rocks; associated with sand and sediment habitats where mouthfuls of sand and sediment are processed during feeding.
Geographic distribution: Found all around Lake Malawi.
Typical adult size: About 14 cm total length.
Diet: Feeds on worms and other soft invertebrates living in bottom sediment; lighter material, including invertebrates and algae, can be retained while heavier sand is expelled via the gill slit.
Breeding: Breeding may occur year-round. Males build a bower centered on a small stone, with a semicircular rim of sand deposited around it; eggs are laid as far as possible beneath the stone.
Special notes: Tramitichromis is distinguished by a characteristic lower pharyngeal bone with long, slender teeth, including markedly elongated anterior teeth with backward-bent tips, and by a downward-projecting anterior blade of the pharyngeal bone. The genus also shows strong, squat lower gill-rakers that form a near-horizontal grid which can separate heavier sand from lighter food items during sand-sifting. This species is readily recognized by a prominent diagonal stripe on the flank and has been exported under the trade names “Lethrinops variabilis” and “Lethrinops Chizumulu”; at Likoma it is known locally as kambuzi wa chigongo.

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Photo: © Aqua-Treff
Photo: © Aqua-Treff
Photo: © Aqua-Treff
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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