Lethrinops sp. "Grey" "South East Arm"

South East ArmSOWTH EEST ARM (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. "Grey" account →

Specific to South East Arm

  • 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. "Grey".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size4.5 in12 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth26–115 ft8–35 m
DietSand-sifting invertivore, filtering chironomid larvae and other micro-invertebrates from sand through the gill rakers
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; genus-typical, a few dozen eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males remain a muted silvery grey rather than developing the red, yellow or blue nuptial colour typical of many congeners; females and non-breeding males are plain silver.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The South East Arm population

Lethrinops sp. "Grey" "South East Arm" is the South East Arm population of Lethrinops sp. "Grey", 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. "Grey", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living South East Arm fish at malawi.si

About the species

Lethrinops sp. "Grey" is an undescribed sand-dwelling cichlid recorded from the South East Arm of Lake Malawi, a large, historically heavily fished embayment in the southern lake. It belongs to the Lethrinops group of open-water haplochromines, slender fish with an oblique, protrusible mouth built for sifting sand rather than scraping algae. The trade name is a plain description: this population lacks the strong red, yellow or blue nuptial colours that mark many of its congeners, and males in breeding dress remain a muted, steely grey rather than developing bright colour. No authority, publication year, FishBase number, or Red List status exists for this form.

Full Lethrinops sp. "Grey" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Lethrinops sp. "Grey" "South East Arm"
  2. malawi.si — Lethrinops species database
  3. Cichlid Room Companion — Lethrinops genus profile
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)