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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Diplotaxodon sp. 'bigeye blackdorsal' Chilumba.jpeg Diplotaxodon sp. 'bigeye blackdorsal' Nkhata Bay.jpg
Next pageDiplotaxodon sp. 'bigeye blackdorsal' Chilumba<br><font color=gray>Diplotaxodon sp. 'macrops black dorsal' Chilumba</font>
Genus: Diplotaxodon
Biotope: A deep-water offshore form associated with the lake’s deep offshore assemblage.
Geographic distribution: Northern Lake Malawi, with breeding males reported from Ngara, Chilumba and Nkhata Bay, and additional genome-sequenced material from Chiofu Bay.
Typical adult size: Up to 139.1 mm SL.
Sexual dimorphism: Breeding males are dark dorsally, including the upper part of the caudal fin and most of the dorsal fin, which retains white lappets; pelvic and anal fins are translucent or hyaline. Females and immatures are not reliably separable from other bigeye/macrops taxa by external morphology alone.
Special notes: Breeding dress is very similar to that of Diplotaxodon sp. ‘limnothrissa blackdorsal’, but body proportions differ. Genome-wide analyses recover it as a distinct clade that is separate from both D. macrops and Diplotaxodon sp. ‘limnothrissa blackdorsal’, and resolve it as sister to a diverse clade comprising D. altus, D. apogon, D. greenwoodi, D. longimaxilla, Diplotaxodon sp. ‘holochromis’, Diplotaxodon sp. ‘ngulube’ and Pallidochromis tokolosh.

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