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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Maylandia emmiltos 'Luwino Reef'.jpg Maylandia emmiltos 'Mphanga Rocks'.jpg
Next pageMaylandia emmiltos 'Luwino Reef'<br><font color=gray>Metriaclima emmiltos 'Luwino Reef'<br>Red Top Zebra</font>
Genus: Maylandia
Type locality: Mpanga Rocks, Chilumba, Lake Malawi, Malawi.
Biotope: Strictly rock-bound, favoring clear-water rocky coasts and shelter-rich rock structures used for retreat and spawning. It is common on large rocks at Mphanga Rocks and much less common at Luwino Reef, where it occurs mainly deeper than about 7 m; it is uncommon where rocks are scattered over sand.
Geographic distribution: Endemic to Mphanga Rocks and the nearby Luwino Reef in Malawi.
Typical adult size: At Mphanga Rocks, males reach about 13 cm total length and females about 10–11 cm. At Luwino Reef, males are rarely larger than 10 cm and females rarely exceed about 8 cm.
Recommended aquarium size: 300 L.
Aquarium setup: Provide extensive rockwork with caves and hiding places. Keep one male with 3–4 females, or maintain larger groups in sufficiently large aquaria.
Diet: Herbivorous Aufwuchs grazer that combs loose material from the algal matrix at right angles to the substrate. It also feeds frequently on plankton and is often observed in large foraging schools taking plankton from the water column.
Breeding: Breeding males defend territories centered on caves among rocks, with neighboring males sometimes as close as about 75 cm apart. Spawning occurs inside the male’s cave. Mouthbrooding females hide among the rocks and release their offspring there after brooding, with no observed fry guarding and abandonment of young after release.
Aggression: Aggressive within the species, but generally tolerant toward other species.
Special notes: Males are characterized by a red/orange dorsal fin combined with black bars on a blue ground color; among congeners this combination is shared only with M. pyrsonotos, from which it differs by a black submarginal band in the anal fin. It is considered part of the classic zebra complex and is treated as a distinct species rather than a local variant of M. zebra.

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