Deep-water habitats over silt, mud, or occasionally sandy substrates.
Most commonly found at depths of 90–128 m, with an overall reported depth range of approximately 35–138 m.
Geographic distribution:
Endemic to Lake Malawi. Originally reported from the southern end of the lake,
but later records indicate a much wider, possibly lake-wide distribution.
Typical adult size:
Up to 18 cm total length.
Sexual dimorphism:
Not well documented. No clear external sexual dimorphism is known.
Diet:
Feeds primarily on small benthic macroinvertebrates and possibly small fishes.
Morphology suggests it does not graze algae or phytoplankton and lacks the strong jaws typical of
specialized piscivorous haplochromines.
Breeding:
Presumed maternal mouthbrooder, consistent with Lake Malawi haplochromine cichlids.
Females carry relatively large eggs and moderate clutch sizes.
Breeding likely occurs in deep water, possibly between March and September.
Aggression:
Unknown; no specific information on territorial or interspecific aggression is available.
Special notes:
Alticorpus macrocleithrum is unique among Lake Malawi haplochromines due to a pronounced
ventral protuberance caused by hypertrophy of the cleithrum.
This feature is thought to be associated with its feeding strategy in soft, diatom-rich substrates,
providing strong pectoral musculature to reverse after plunging the snout into sediment.
Although widespread and currently not considered threatened, it is a true deep-water species
and remains poorly known in both the wild and aquaristics.
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