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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Maylandia lundoensis 'Lundo Island'<br><font color=gray>Metriaclima lundoense 'Lundo Island'</font>
Genus: Maylandia
Type locality: Lundo Island, Lake Malawi, Tanzania, Africa.
Geographic distribution: Known only from Lundo Island, Lake Malawi, Tanzania.
Typical adult size: In the wild, males reach about 11 cm total length and females about 9 cm. Reliable data on growth in aquaria are not available.
Sexual dimorphism: Males have a blue flank with 7–10 narrow black bars and a dark blue to purple head with blue/green highlights; the dorsal fin shows a black submarginal band and small yellow spots in the rayed part, and the anal fin is black with yellow ocelli. Females are light brown with blue/green highlights, often with faint bars; the dorsal fin has a narrow black submarginal band, and the caudal and anal fins are gray to brown.
Diet: Feeds on aufwuchs, especially blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), growing on rocks. Despite significant sediment covering the biocover in its habitat, it maintains dense populations and competes for feeding and breeding territories.
Breeding: Males are territorial and use a burrow under a rock on sand, or near the bottom among small rock piles. Females and non-territorial males are usually solitary or in small groups. Spawning takes place inside the male’s burrow after courtship. Mouthbrooding females are typically solitary and do not join foraging groups.
Special notes: Distinguished from similar species by a combination of male coloration (black submarginal dorsal band with distinct lateral bars that do not extend onto the dorsal fin) and by females showing a black submarginal band in the dorsal fin. It co-occurs at Lundo Island with Metriaclima sp. ‘msobo heteropictus’, from which females differ by having a beige-blue coloration and a black band in the anal fin, and males differ by their distinct vertical bar pattern.

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