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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Tropheops modestus 'Chidunga Rocks'.jpg Tropheops modestus 'Maleri Island'.jpg Tropheops modestus 'Nakantenga Island'.jpg
Previous pageNext pageTropheops modestus 'Maleri Island'
Genus: Tropheops
Type locality: Off Makanjila Island, Lake Malawi
Biotope: Inhabits sediment-free rocky substrates in shallow, wave-swept littoral zones, typically at depths of 1–10 m.
Geographic distribution: Restricted to the southern part of Lake Malawi. Known from the Maleri Islands, Makanjila Island and Chidunga Rocks.
Typical adult size: Up to 8 cm in the lake; in aquarium it may attain slightly larger size.
Sexual dimorphism: Males are more intensely colored, showing powder-blue body coloration with darker vertical bars and distinct anal egg-spots; females are duller blue-grey with reduced or absent egg-spots and lack extended fin streamers.
Diet: Primarily an epilithic algivore, scraping algae and associated organisms from rocky surfaces.
Breeding: Maternal mouthbrooder with territorial males defending rocky spawning sites.
Aggression: Males are territorial and defend rock surfaces; intraspecific aggression is expected within confined areas.
Special notes: A small-bodied member of Tropheops originally described as Pseudotropheus modestus in 1974. Occurs in the southern half of Lake Malawi in sediment-associated rocky habitats. Closely related to Tropheops sp. ‘elongatus namalenje’, which inhabits Namalenje Island and shows stronger territorial behavior in males.

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