Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Diplotaxodon sp. "Limnothrissa Blackdorsal"

Diplotaxodon sp. "Limnothrissa Blackdorsal" "Tukombo"

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 Diplotaxodon sp. "Limnothrissa Blackdorsal" account →

Specific to Tukombo

  • 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 Diplotaxodon sp. "Limnothrissa Blackdorsal".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size6 in15 cm standard length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.8alkaline
Depth0–722 ft0–220 m
DietPelagic feeder on small fish and zooplankton (comparable to D. limnothrissa; genus-typical).
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooderNot confirmed for this form; D. limnothrissa carries very low fecundity, typically only 1–2 large (~3 cm TL) young per brooding female
Sexual dimorphismYesNo body-shape dimorphism between sexes; distinguishing field mark is a black dorsal fin, contrasting with the yellow-white breeding blaze documented in D. limnothrissa males.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Tukombo population

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

Colour reference: living Tukombo fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Diplotaxodon sp. "Limnothrissa Blackdorsal" is an undescribed pelagic cichlid recorded from open water off Tukombo on Lake Malawi's western shore. Its trade name draws a comparison to the formally described Diplotaxodon limnothrissa — named for its resemblance to the sardine-like clupeid Limnothrissa miodon — and adds a field mark that sets it apart: a black dorsal fin, in contrast to the yellow-white dorsal blaze documented in ripe males of the nominal species. The comparison signals resemblance, not identity: this form's precise relationship to D. limnothrissa has not been established by any published study.

Full Diplotaxodon sp. "Limnothrissa Blackdorsal" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Diplotaxodon sp. "Limnothrissa Blackdorsal" "Tukombo"
  2. malawi.si — Diplotaxodon species and locality database
  3. Cichlid Room Companion — Diplotaxodon genus overview (Ad Konings, curator)
  4. Turner, G.F. — Description of D. limnothrissa (Journal of Fish Biology, 1994); genus-wide biology reused via Fishes of Malawi
  5. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; deep-water and pelagic Diplotaxodon)