Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Labidochromis sp. "Textilis Blue"

Labidochromis sp. "Textilis Blue" "Lumessi"

Labidochromis sp. "Textilis Blue" (Lumessi, Thundu)

Lumessi — loo-MEH-see (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 Labidochromis sp. "Textilis Blue" account →

Specific to Lumessi

  • 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 Labidochromis sp. "Textilis Blue".

CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesLabidochromis vellicansTrewavas 1935
Scientific size3.5 in9 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Habitat watermoderately soft, alkaline, well-buffered79 ppmLake Malawi
Depth16–82 ft5–25 m
DietRock-associated aufwuchs grazer or invertebrate picker (genus-typical; exact mode not documented for this form)
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooder (presumed, genus-typical)Not documented for this form; genus-typical broods run to a few dozen eggs
Sexual dimorphismMinimalBlue body colour is the defining trade-name trait, but a detailed male-versus-female colour account has not been published for this form.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Lumessi population

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

Colour reference: living Lumessi fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Labidochromis sp. "Textilis Blue" is an undescribed rock-dwelling cichlid recorded from Lumessi and Thundu on the Mozambican shore of Lake Malawi. It belongs to a loosely defined group of deeper-water, blue-bodied Labidochromis informally referred to under the "textilis" trade name, none of which has ever been given a formal scientific description. As with its close relatives, its identity rests on collection locality and colour rather than a published diagnosis, and no authority, year, or FishBase entry should ever be attached to it.

Full Labidochromis sp. "Textilis Blue" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Labidochromis sp. "Textilis Blue" "Lumessi"
  2. malawi.si — Labidochromis species and locality database
  3. Cichlid Room Companion — Labidochromis genus overview (Ad Konings, curator)
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; southeastern-arm and Mozambican-shore Labidochromis)
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