Lethrinops sp. "Macrostoma" "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. "Macrostoma" 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. "Macrostoma".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5.5 in14 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 with a conspicuously large mouth for the genus, likely taking somewhat larger invertebrate prey than smaller-mouthed congeners
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; genus-typical, a few dozen eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesA conspicuously large mouth relative to congeners is the documented identifying trait; the specific breeding male colour pattern is not documented in the sources consulted.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The South East Arm population

Lethrinops sp. "Macrostoma" "South East Arm" is the South East Arm population of Lethrinops sp. "Macrostoma", 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. "Macrostoma", 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. "Macrostoma" is an undescribed sand-dwelling cichlid recorded from the South East Arm of Lake Malawi. Its trade name combines the Greek roots macro- ("large") and -stoma ("mouth"), pointing to an unusually large oral gape relative to other Lethrinops sharing its habitat. The name is purely descriptive rather than a nod to any specific described relative, and it should not be confused with Tyrannochromis macrostoma (Regan, 1922), a large predatory cichlid in an entirely different Lake Malawi genus that independently carries the same descriptive epithet. No authority, publication year, FishBase number, or Red List status exists for this form.

Full Lethrinops sp. "Macrostoma" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Lethrinops sp. "Macrostoma" "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)