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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Diplotaxodon altus 'South East Arm'.jpg Diplotaxodon apogon 'South East Arm'.jpg Diplotaxodon longimaxilla 'South East Arm' (George Turner) 01.jpg Diplotaxodon macrops 'South East Arm'.jpg Diplotaxodon sp. 'ecclesi white dorsal' South East Arm.jpg
Previous pageNext pageDiplotaxodon longimaxilla 'South East Arm'
Genus: Diplotaxodon
Type locality: Domira Bay, northwest of Mbenji Island, Lake Malawi
Biotope: Offshore deep-water habitats close to the lake floor, typically at about 70–145 m depth, with mud-covered bottom in the deeper zone.
Geographic distribution: Offshore in Lake Malawi; reported as lake-wide but rare compared with D. limnothrissa, D. macrops, and D. argenteus.
Typical adult size: Type specimens range from 117.3–180.5 mm SL; reported maximum at least 203 mm SL (about 24 cm total length).
Sexual dimorphism: Males have two pale yellow ocelli on the anal fin. Females and immature individuals are uniformly silvery and countershaded, lacking vertical bars, horizontal stripes, and flank spots.
Aquarium setup: A deep-water offshore species associated with near-bottom habitats; it has never been kept in the aquarium.
Diet: An offshore piscivore.
Breeding: Maternal mouthbrooder.
Special notes: Whole-genome phylogenetic analyses resolve it as a genetically distinct lineage and place it as sister to a clade comprising Diplotaxodon greenwoodi and Pallidochromis tokolosh, with this group forming the sister lineage to Diplotaxodon apogon.

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Photo: © George Turner
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Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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