Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow" "Monkey Bay"

Monkey BayMUNK-ee BAY (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 Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow" account →

Specific to Monkey Bay

  • 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 Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5 in13 cm total length
Temperature73–81 °F23–27 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth66–131 ft20–40 m
DietSand-sifting invertivore, filtering micro-invertebrates from sand through the gill rakers (genus-typical; not directly documented for this form)
Breedingmaternal mouthbrooder (presumed, genus-typical)not documented for this form; genus-typical, a few dozen eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males show a yellow colour element per the trade name, distinguishing them from the plainer "Deep-water Albus" form; precise pattern and female colouration not formally documented.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Monkey Bay population

Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow" "Monkey Bay" is the Monkey Bay population of Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow", a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Monkey Bay fish at malawi.si

About the species

Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow" is an undescribed sand-dwelling cichlid recorded at Monkey Bay in Lake Malawi, named for its resemblance to the described species Lethrinops albus, a deeper depth range than that species typically occupies, and a yellow element in breeding-male colouration that separates it from the plainer "Deep-water Albus" form recorded elsewhere in the lake. It has no formal description, authority, or FishBase entry.

Full Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Lethrinops sp. "Deep-water Albus Yellow" "Monkey Bay"
  2. malawi.si — Lethrinops species database
  3. Cichlid Room Companion — Lethrinops genus profile
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)