Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue"

Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue" "Nkhata Bay"

Nkhata Bay — n-KAH-tah BAY (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 Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue" account →

Specific to Nkhata Bay

  • 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 Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size4 in10 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth7–39 ft2–12 m
DietAufwuchs grazer - algae, diatoms and associated microinvertebrates combed from rock biofilm (genus-typical Chindongo)
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; expected modest, genus-typical (a few dozen eggs)
Sexual dimorphismYesTrade name and field references mark this population's dominant males as blue-toned, following the elongatus complex's pattern of extensive colour divergence among near-identical populations; females and subordinate males are expected to be plainer and duller, as in Chindongo elongatus generally. Specific pattern detail beyond the dominant male body tone has not been documented in the sources compiled here.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Nkhata Bay population

Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue" "Nkhata Bay" is the Nkhata Bay population of Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue", a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the central part of the lake. It is the same species as Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Nkhata Bay fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue" is an undescribed rock-dwelling cichlid from Lake Malawi, recorded from Nkhata Bay and belonging to the elongatus complex - a sprawling assemblage of small, algae-grazing mbuna anchored by the described species Chindongo elongatus but comprising more than thirty named and undescribed locality forms distinguished chiefly by colour. It has never been given a formal scientific name. It is best understood as one of several locality forms in this group still awaiting formal description, recognised through field and hobby literature, principally the work of Ad Konings, rather than a taxonomic publication.

Full Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Chindongo sp. "Elongatus Nkhata Blue" "Nkhata Bay"
  2. malawi.si — Chindongo species and locality-form database (Konings-based; distribution, biotope)
  3. Cichlid Room Companion — Chindongo genus and mbuna taxonomy (Ad Konings, curator)
  4. Li, S., Konings, A.F. & Stauffer, J.R. Jr. 2016 — A revision of the Pseudotropheus elongatus species group (Teleostei: Cichlidae) with description of a new genus and seven new species. Zootaxa 4168(2): 353-381
  5. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi field authority)