Lethrinops sp. "Gossei White-bar" "Nkhata Bay"

Nkhata Bayn-KAH-tah 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. "Gossei White-bar" account →

Specific to Nkhata 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. "Gossei White-bar".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5 in13 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth26–98 ft8–30 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 dimorphismYesCarries a white bar marking distinguishing it from L. gossei per the trade name; further colour detail and sex-specific description not formally documented.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Nkhata Bay population

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

Colour reference: living Nkhata Bay fish at malawi.si

About the species

Lethrinops sp. "Gossei White-bar" is an undescribed sand-dwelling cichlid recorded near Nkhata Bay in Lake Malawi, named for its resemblance to the described species Lethrinops gossei together with a white bar marking that distinguishes it from that species. It has no formal description, authority, or FishBase entry, and is known only by this trade name.

Full Lethrinops sp. "Gossei White-bar" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Lethrinops sp. "Gossei White-bar" "Nkhata 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)