Buccochromis oculatus "South East Arm"

South East ArmSOWTH EEST ARM (approx.)

The fish

How this cichlid is built, and everything about how it lives, eats and breeds, is shared with the species — this page doesn't repeat it.

Read the full Buccochromis oculatus account →

Specific to South East Arm

  • Collection locality & coordinates
  • Local coloration — best judged from the living-fish photo
  • Kept as a single-provenance line, never crossed with other collection points

Care facts below are the species' — shared with Buccochromis oculatus.

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size10 in25 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth16–131 ft5–40 m
DietPiscivore (genus-typical; not species-confirmed)
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooder (presumed, genus-typical)not documented for this species; larger than small mbuna given genus body size
Sexual dimorphismYesGenus-typical expectation of more strongly coloured breeding males vs. duller, silvery females; species-specific eye-spot marking implied by the name but not confirmed here.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The South East Arm population

Buccochromis oculatus "South East Arm" is the South East Arm population of Buccochromis oculatus, a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Buccochromis oculatus, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living South East Arm fish at malawi.si

About the species

Buccochromis oculatus is a large predatory haplochromine of Lake Malawi, a member of a genus built for hunting other fish rather than grazing algae or sifting sand. Its epithet, Latin for "eyed" or "having eyes," points to an eye-spot or ocellus somewhere on the body — a marking common among piscivorous cichlids, sometimes serving as a decoy against retaliatory strikes from prey. It is documented from the South East Arm, the broad southern embayment of the lake.

Full Buccochromis oculatus account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Buccochromis oculatus "South East Arm"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Species search (California Academy of Sciences; authority for valid names)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)