Lethrinops sp. "Yellow Chin" "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. "Yellow Chin" 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. "Yellow Chin".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5 in13 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth26–82 ft8–25 m
DietSand-sifting invertivore; genus-typical, 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 dimorphismYesTrade name implies breeding males show yellow colouring localised to the chin or lower jaw; not formally documented in detail.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The South East Arm population

Lethrinops sp. "Yellow Chin" "South East Arm" is the South East Arm population of Lethrinops sp. "Yellow Chin", 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. "Yellow Chin", 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. "Yellow Chin" is an undescribed sand-dwelling cichlid recorded from the South East Arm of Lake Malawi, the species-rich southern stretch of shoreline below Cape Maclear. Its trade name points to a yellow patch on the lower jaw or throat of breeding males, one of several localised colour markers used to distinguish similar-looking Lethrinops forms collected from the same general area. As with its neighbours from this part of the lake, formal documentation is limited, and this article keeps inference clearly separated from confirmed fact.

Full Lethrinops sp. "Yellow Chin" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Lethrinops sp. "Yellow Chin" "South East Arm"
  2. malawi.si — species and locality database (Konings-based)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi field authority)
  4. Cichlid Room Companion — Lethrinops (genus profile)