Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Dimidiochromis kiwinge

Dimidiochromis kiwinge "Border"

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 Dimidiochromis kiwinge account →

Specific to Border

  • 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 Dimidiochromis kiwinge.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2018
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size11.8 in30 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.8alkaline
Depth3–49 ft1–15 m
DietAmbush piscivore (small fish)
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooderNot formally documented for this species; genus-typical Malawi haplochromine pattern suggests a moderate clutch of a few dozen eggs (flagged as inference, not a published count)
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males turn metallic blue-green across head and body with red/orange tints in the fins and run slightly larger; females and subadults stay silvery with a greenish sheen and the dark mid-lateral stripe.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Border population

Dimidiochromis kiwinge "Border" is the Border population of Dimidiochromis kiwinge, 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 Dimidiochromis kiwinge, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Border fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Dimidiochromis kiwinge is a large, restless haplochromine cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi and its satellite Lake Malombe, and the most common open-water predator of the lake's shallow shoreline. Where most of its relatives hug the bottom, this fish patrols mid-water in roving packs, driving small utaka and the lake sardine toward the surface before striking. It is a fast, hard-to-net fish prized by local anglers for its flavor, which makes it more a fixture of the dinner plate than of the aquarium trade.

Full Dimidiochromis kiwinge account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Dimidiochromis kiwinge "Border"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Haplochromis kiwinge / Dimidiochromis kiwinge (species record)
  3. FishBase — Dimidiochromis kiwinge (field guide: size, weight, biology, distribution)
  4. FishBase — Dimidiochromis kiwinge (summary)
  5. GBIF — Dimidiochromis kiwinge (Ahl, 1926) (occurrences, taxonomy, vernacular names)
  6. Eccles, D.H. & Trewavas, E. (1989), Malawian Cichlid Fishes: The Classification of Some Haplochromine Genera (genus Dimidiochromis erected) — cited via IUCN bibliography