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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Pseudotropheus sp. 'sand cobalt' Likoma Island
Genus: Pseudotropheus
Biotope: Sediment-rich intermediate habitat with sandy areas between rocks; often associated with sand-scooping behavior.
Geographic distribution: Likoma Island, Lake Malawi; populations occur all around Likoma Island and are absent from nearby Chizumulu Island.
Typical adult size: Medium-sized mbuna (exact maximum size not specified in available observations).
Sexual dimorphism: Males are blue; vertical barring may be prominent in some individuals while absent in others within the same population. Females are less intensely colored.
Diet: Feeds by scooping sand and grazing from the substrate, extracting edible material from the biocover and associated debris.
Breeding: Maternal mouthbrooder.
Aggression: Not specifically documented; likely territorial as typical for mbuna.
Special notes: Previously confused with forms referred to as “zebra bevous”. The Likoma population was earlier termed Metriaclima sp. ‘black dorsal cobalt’. It is now suggested to refer to this blue, sand-scooping mbuna from Likoma as Pseudotropheus sp. ‘sand cobalt’. Color pattern is variable within the population, with some individuals lacking the vertical bars that are prominent in others.

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