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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Tramitichromis sp. 'chembe circle' Cape Maclear
Genus: Tramitichromis
Biotope: A breeding arena on sandy substrate near Chembe (Cape Maclear), with bowers built on open sand at a depth of between 4 m and 7 m.
Breeding: Males build a volcano-shaped bower with a horizontal spawning platform; the base is surrounded and demarcated by a shallow circular ditch, from which material is taken to construct the bower.
Special notes: Tramitichromis is characterized by a distinctive 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 lower gill-rakers are robust and can form a near-horizontal grid that separates heavier sand from lighter food items during sand-sifting. This undescribed form was recorded at Chembe in August 2006, where a breeding arena of 50–100 males was observed; females were rare and appeared to visit mainly when ready to spawn. Deserted bowers of the same type have also been noted at Kancheza Island, suggesting a distribution beyond Cape Maclear.

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Photo: © Ad Konings
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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