Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface" "Lumessi"Metriaclima sp. "Estherae Blueface"
Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface" (Lumessi)
Lumessi — loo-MEH-see (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 Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface" account →Specific to Lumessi
- 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 Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface".
The Lumessi population
Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface" "Lumessi" is the Lumessi population of Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface", a geographic colour form from the Mozambique coast of Lake Malawi in the south-central part of the lake. It is the same species as Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.
Colour reference: living Lumessi fish at malawi.si →
About the species
Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface" is a trade name for a population from Lumessi on the Mozambique shore of Lake Malawi, recorded within the geographic range of the described red zebra, Maylandia estherae. The "Blueface" qualifier marks a head-colour trait in males that distinguishes this population's appearance from the classic uniform powder-blue or orange dress typical of estherae elsewhere along the same coast. It has not been formally described, and this account treats it as a distinct, informally named population rather than as a confirmed colour form of M. estherae.
Full Maylandia sp. "Estherae Blueface" account →