Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Lethrinops sp. "Longimanus Likoma"

Lethrinops sp. "Longimanus Likoma" "Masimbwe Island"

Masimbwe Island — mah-SEEM-bweh EYE-land (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. "Longimanus Likoma" account →

Specific to Masimbwe Island

  • 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. "Longimanus Likoma".

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
Depth33–98 ft10–30 m
DietSand-sifting invertivore; takes mouthfuls of sand and filters out chironomid larvae, ostracods, and other small benthic invertebrates.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; modest, genus-typical
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males develop elongated pelvic fins and blue-toned nuptial colour with a yellow or orange dorsal edge; females and non-breeding males are silvery and cryptic.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Masimbwe Island population

Lethrinops sp. "Longimanus Likoma" "Masimbwe Island" is the Masimbwe Island population of Lethrinops sp. "Longimanus Likoma", 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. "Longimanus Likoma", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Masimbwe Island fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Lethrinops sp. "Longimanus Likoma" is an undescribed sand-dwelling cichlid from the deep water around Likoma Island, in the eastern-central part of Lake Malawi. Its trade name links it to Lethrinops longimanus, a formally described relative whose breeding males carry remarkably elongated pelvic fins — a signature ornament used in courtship display over the open sand where these fish spawn. The Likoma population is recognised in the field literature as distinct enough to track separately, though it has not itself received a formal description.

Full Lethrinops sp. "Longimanus Likoma" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Lethrinops sp. "Longimanus Likoma" "Masimbwe Island"
  2. malawi.si — Lethrinops (Konings-based species database; Malawi genus overview)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi field authority; Lethrinops longimanus complex)
  4. Cichlid Room Companion — Lethrinops (genus profile)