Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Lethrinops sp. "Mbenji Deep"

Lethrinops sp. "Mbenji Deep" "Mbenji Island"Mbenji deep-water lethrinops

Lethrinops sp. "Mbenji Deep" (Mbenji Island)

Mbenji Island — m-BEHN-jee 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. "Mbenji Deep" account →

Specific to Mbenji 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. "Mbenji Deep".

CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesLethrinops lethrinusdescribed as Chromis lethrinus Günther 1894
Scientific size5 in13 cm total length
Temperature73–81 °F23–27 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)up to 446 ppm
Habitat watermoderately soft, alkaline, well-buffered79 ppmLake Malawi
Depth66–131 ft20–40 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 dimorphismYesGenus-typical dimorphism (coloured breeding males, plain silver females) is expected; deep-water Malawi sand-dwellers often trend toward larger eyes and more muted colour, though this is not confirmed specifically for this form.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Mbenji Island population

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

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

About the species

Lethrinops sp. "Mbenji Deep" is an undescribed sand-dwelling cichlid recorded from deeper water around Mbenji Island in west-central Lake Malawi. The "Deep" qualifier distinguishes it from shallower-water populations recorded at the same island, a naming convention used across several genera on malawi.si to separate depth-segregated forms sharing one locality. Mbenji Island’s surrounding waters have long been protected by local customary prohibition against fishing, making the site an unusually well-preserved reference point for Lake Malawi’s cichlid fauna. No authority, publication year, FishBase number, or Red List status exists for this form.

Full Lethrinops sp. "Mbenji Deep" account →

Sources

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