Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Cynotilapia sp. "Elongatus Chitimba"

Cynotilapia sp. "Elongatus Chitimba" "Chitimba Bay (Deep)"

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 Cynotilapia sp. "Elongatus Chitimba" account →

Specific to Chitimba Bay (Deep)

  • 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 Cynotilapia sp. "Elongatus Chitimba".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size3.5 in9 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth10–66 ft3–20 m
DietMixed algae and zooplankton feeder, picking loose algae, phytoplankton, and drifting zooplankton near rocky substrate
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; expected modest (genus-typical, a few dozen eggs)
Sexual dimorphismYesNot documented in detail for this form; many Cynotilapia show males in bright blue with black markings against plainer or barred females.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Chitimba Bay (Deep) population

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

Colour reference: living Chitimba Bay (Deep) fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Cynotilapia sp. "Elongatus Chitimba" is an undescribed mbuna cichlid from the far northern shore of Lake Malawi, recorded at Chitimba Bay, including a deeper-water record from within the same bay. It has no formal scientific name. The trade tag flags an unusually slender, elongate body shape for the genus — most Cynotilapia are relatively compact, torpedo-shaped mbuna, so an "elongatus"-type build stands out as a distinguishing feature of this Chitimba Bay population. It belongs to Cynotilapia, a genus of small, often brilliantly blue mbuna named for their comparatively strong, canine-like teeth.

Full Cynotilapia sp. "Elongatus Chitimba" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Cynotilapia sp. "Elongatus Chitimba" "Chitimba Bay (Deep)"
  2. malawi.si — Cynotilapia species and locality-form database (Konings-based; distribution, biotope)
  3. Cichlid Room Companion — Cynotilapia genus and mbuna taxonomy (Ad Konings, curator)
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi field authority)