Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Copadichromis verduyni

Copadichromis verduyni "Masinje"

Masinje — mah-SEEN-jeh (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 Copadichromis verduyni account →

Specific to Masinje

  • 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 Copadichromis verduyni.

IUCNVULNERABLE · 2006
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size4.3 in11 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH7.3–8.3alkaline
Depth30–49 ft9–15 m
DietUtaka zooplanktivore (plankton + some benthic invertebrates)
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooderNot documented for this species; utaka-typical ~30-60 eggs (mean ~49 in the open-water congener C. chrysonotus, Smith 2000), likely lower given its small size
Sexual dimorphismYesNuptial males have a blue head with a red/yellow/brownish flank, yellow breast and anal-fin margin; females and non-territorial males are plain silvery-grey.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Masinje population

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

Colour reference: living Masinje fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Copadichromis verduyni is a small, deep-living utaka cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi, hovering in shoals over the eastern shore where sand meets rock. It belongs to the lake's guild of open-water zooplankton pickers, but it is the most secretive spawner among its kind: territorial males retreat to depths of 9 to 15 m (30 to 49 ft) and tuck their breeding burrows into small caves and crevices, the most cryptic nest sites of any Copadichromis. Named for the Dutch cichlid dealer Dirk Verduyn, the species shows a string of named colour variants around the lake and is currently assessed as Vulnerable.

Full Copadichromis verduyni account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Copadichromis verduyni "Masinje"
  2. Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer) — Copadichromis verduyni (species record)
  3. FishBase — Copadichromis verduyni summary
  4. FishBase (MNHN mirror) — Copadichromis verduyni
  5. The ETYFish Project — Cichlidae (Pseudocrenilabrinae a-g): Copadichromis & verduyni etymology
  6. Konings, A. 1990. Description of Copadichromis verduyni (type locality Fort Maguire, Lake Malawi)