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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Maylandia midomo 'Lundo Island'.jpg Maylandia midomo 'Ngkuyo Island'.jpg
Previous pageMaylandia midomo 'Ngkuyo Island'<br><font color=gray>Metriaclima midomo 'Ngkuyo Island'</font>
Genus: Maylandia
Type locality: Lundo Island, Lake Malawi, Tanzania
Biotope: Rock-bound mbuna associated mainly with rocks that are usually free of sediment. It is only infrequently encountered in the shallow intermediate habitats surrounding Lundo Island.
Geographic distribution: According to A. Konings, the species is considered endemic to Lundo Island, although Mark Thomas has reported specimens from Ngkuyo Island.
Typical adult size: In the wild, males reach about 12.5 cm TL and females are about 10% smaller.
Sexual dimorphism: Sexual dimorphism is subtle. Territorial males are more vividly colored, with a blue ground color and distinct dark vertical bars, while females show duller blue-green coloration with faint barring.
Diet: Feeds by combing loose material from aufwuchs on rocky substrate; diet includes diatoms and digestible strands of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). Also schools in the water column to pick plankton, mainly phytoplankton (again diatoms and cyanobacteria).
Breeding: Males defend cave-centered territories among rocks, often spaced less than a meter apart. Spawning takes place inside the male’s cave. Females are maternal mouthbrooders that hide among rocks during incubation and release the fry there, after which parental care ceases.
Aggression: Males exhibit strong territoriality and dominance behavior, especially toward other males, and actively exclude rivals from their defended areas.
Special notes: The diagnosis places the species in Metriaclima based on oral dentition and head/vomer morphology, and notes resemblance to Petrotilapia while still differing by the presence of bicuspid outer-row teeth. On Lundo Island it is discussed alongside other Metriaclima, distinguishable chiefly by male coloration traits (e.g., absence of a black submarginal band in the dorsal fin compared with M. lundoense and some M. sp. ‘msobo heteropictus’).
The account describes that the species was initially suspected to be a geographical variant of M. zebra, but morphometric comparisons with neighboring M. zebra populations reportedly showed no overlap; being encountered only at Lundo Island is presented as supporting treatment as a distinct species.

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