Taxonomy & naming
This cichlid circulates in the specialist literature, the hobby trade, and the malawi.si database under the provisional designation Maylandia sp. 'patricki' (also written as Metriaclima sp. 'patricki'), using the open-nomenclature convention that places an undescribed name in single quotes after 'sp.' to signal that no formal Linnaean description has ever been published. No entry appears in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (checked May 2026) under any combination of genus and the epithet patricki, and no peer-reviewed description has been traced to date. The fish therefore has no valid binomial; it is an undescribed form in every strict nomenclatural sense, even though it has been photographed, studied, traded, and kept for decades.
Within Maylandia — the genus of the 'zebra' mbuna whose competing synonym Metriaclima remains widely used by Stauffer and colleagues — the fish belongs to the loose intermediate-habitat guild that includes Maylandia lombardoi, Maylandia barlowi, and the Mbenji endemic Maylandia mbenjii. The Maylandia / Metriaclima name dispute is ongoing: Meyer & Foerster erected Maylandia in 1984 and Stauffer et al. established Metriaclima in 1997 for what appears to be the same genus; specialist opinions divide, with Ad Konings and malawi.si using Maylandia and the IUCN Red List following Metriaclima. FishBase lists Maylandia as the accepted genus. Because no formal description of this form exists under either name, the genus question is secondary to the species-level gap.
The provisional epithet honours Patrick Karonga, a Malawian fisherman who worked for the fish collector and exporter Stuart Grant. Grant's operation at Senga Bay was instrumental in bringing dozens of Lake Malawi cichlids to the attention of the hobby and science from the 1970s onward, and several trade names commemorate the local Malawian workers who made that collecting possible. Should a formal description eventually be published, the epithet patricki would be available as a species-group name at that time.
Morphology
Maylandia sp. 'patricki' is a small, moderately compressed mbuna. Wild males reach about 4.5 in total length and females about 3.5 in, putting it at the smaller end of the Maylandia size range — notably smaller than the closely associated Maylandia lombardoi with which it shares Mbenji Island and Nkhomo Reef.
Sexual dimorphism is straightforward rather than dramatic. Males in breeding dress are blue to blue-violet on the head and flanks, with a contrasting warm orange to yellow-orange flush across the dorsal surface and into the upper flanks; the overall impression is a two-tone fish with a cool blue underside and a warm orange back, topped by a blue-margined dorsal fin. Faint vertical bars ghost through the flanks at rest and intensify with excitement. Each male carries the species-typical yellow egg-spot (egg-dummy ocellus) on the anal fin, indispensable for the mouthbrooding fertilisation mechanism. Females and non-breeding males are drab brown to grey-brown, usually showing five or six faint dusky vertical bands. Juveniles of both sexes are similarly plain. The species is not known to carry a distinct black submarginal band in the dorsal fin, and the relatively modest female coloration is consistent with membership of the 'intermediate habitat' Maylandia cluster rather than the more boldly barred rock-specialists.
Habitat
The species is a Lake Malawi endemic confined to the southwestern portion of the lake. Its known range runs along a corridor of offshore reefs and islands: the Mbenji island group (the principal trade locality and likely the best-studied site), nearby Nkhomo Reef, the Maleri island group to the south, Namalenje Island, Chidunga Rocks near Chipoka, and Jalo Reef near Nkhotakota to the north. The geographic extent is therefore a roughly linear arc through south-central Malawi rather than a lake-wide distribution.
Within those sites the fish occupies the intermediate zone — the transitional band between pure rocky reef and open sand that is a recurring habitat category among Malawi's cichlid fauna. Specifically it is found over scattered rocks set on sand, over sandy areas between rocky patches, and on sandy ground adjacent to boulders, rather than on the clean exposed rock face preferred by strict saxicolous mbuna. The depth range given by malawi.si (Konings data) is 16–82 ft, with the fish presumably most consistent in the middle of that band; field observations note that males dig tunnel burrows beneath individual scattered rocks, giving the habitat a territorial structure reminiscent of some sand-dwelling cichlids rather than the open-rock claims of typical mbuna.
The water chemistry is Lake Malawi's characteristic shallow-layer envelope: hard, alkaline, well-oxygenated, and warm. Published ranges for the lake's upper mixed layer — the zone this species inhabits — place temperatures at approximately 75–82 °F, pH between roughly 7.7 and 8.6, and total hardness in the 10–20 °dH range. Because the species has never been formally described, no original publication records precise in-situ water parameters from the type locality; the figures above are habitat-typical for southwestern Malawi's intermediate reef zone, inferred from lake-wide and regional data.
Feeding
Like virtually all mbuna, Maylandia sp. 'patricki' is an aufwuchs grazer. The term covers the dense, mat-like community of algae (diatoms, filamentous greens, blue-greens), associated micro-invertebrates, and organic detritus that coats submerged rock and stone surfaces across Malawi's shallows. The fish rasps this material with its bicuspid teeth, taking both the algal fraction and whatever small animals and organic particles come with it.
An important nuance noted in field and aquarium accounts is that this species also forages on sandy substrate between rocks, combing the surface film of microalgae and organic matter that settles over open sand in the intermediate zone. This dual-substrate feeding — scraping both hard surfaces and softer sandy ground — is consistent with its generalist intermediate-habitat niche and distinguishes it somewhat from the strict epilithic grazers of deep boulder zones. FishBase does not currently carry a species page for this undescribed form, but the dietary assignment as herbivorous / aufwuchs-dependent is corroborated across all specialist hobbyist accounts and is consistent with the gut morphology (long intestine, weak jaw muscles) typical of the Maylandia zebra complex.
Mating
The social structure of Maylandia sp. 'patricki' shows a combination of features unusual among mbuna. Males are permanently territorial — they hold their patch year-round rather than only during breeding peaks — and they excavate burrow tunnels beneath scattered stones in the sand, nesting in the covered space beneath individual rocks. This is a markedly different spatial arrangement from the open-rock territories of many congeners; the result is a more dispersed, sand-anchored social structure in which each male's territory is anchored to a single prominent rock rather than a stretch of reef face. Females, juveniles, and non-territorial males move in loose groups through the surrounding intermediate zone.
Territorial males are notably aggressive toward conspecific rivals — the within-species pressure typical of Maylandia — but comparatively tolerant toward other species sharing the same reef, a pattern particularly remarked upon in hobbyist accounts. In captivity this translates to the standard mbuna calculus: a single male can be kept alongside other Malawi species without undue conflict, but housing two males of this species together requires a very large and well-broken-up environment. Males should not be mixed with congeners of similar blue-orange coloration, which attract disproportionate territorial attention from resident males.
Courting males intensify in colour and approach females with lateral displays and rapid quivering, drawing them toward the burrow entrance. The territorial male's habit of holding a discrete, enclosed burrow — rather than an open rock patch — gives females a more defined spawning site to orient toward than is typical in open-rock Maylandia.
Breeding
Reproduction follows the standard Malawi maternal mouthbrooding template. Spawning occurs at or near the burrow entrance; the female lays eggs a few at a time and immediately takes them into her buccal cavity. As she noses at the male's anal-fin egg-spots — mistaking them for unswallowed eggs — she draws in his milt and fertilises the clutch in the mouth. The female then broods the fertilised eggs and developing larvae for approximately three weeks, fasting throughout, before releasing free-swimming fry.
Clutch sizes are small — hobbyist accounts report roughly 10–30 eggs per spawn, consistent with the species' small body size. There is no biparental care; the male plays no role after spawning and the female's involvement ends once fry are released.
In captivity brooding females are best moved to a quiet holding tank to complete the full incubation period undisturbed, particularly in a community setting where persistent harassment can cause premature release of late-stage larvae. The fry, once free-swimming, are large enough to take finely ground vegetable-based food from the outset and grow without difficulty. Breeding females benefit from the same plant-based, low-protein diet as the rest of the colony; the intestinal bloat syndrome that kills mbuna on high-protein diets can strike brooding females disproportionately given the metabolic stress of fasting through a three-week incubation.
In the aquarium
Maylandia sp. 'patricki' is rarely kept compared to common trade mbuna such as Maylandia estherae or Maylandia lombardoi, and it is not a species a newcomer is likely to encounter at a general fish shop. Specialist Malawi cichlid stockists and dedicated importers occasionally carry it, usually under the trade name 'Patricki' or 'Patricki Mbenji'. Because it is an undescribed form, hobbyist accounts are scattered and largely anecdotal, so the husbandry guidance below draws on mbuna-typical practice wherever species-specific data are thin — a generalization that is explicitly flagged when applied.
A minimum tank of 47 in (roughly 55 US gal) is appropriate for a single-male colony of three to five fish; 59 in or larger is preferable if other species are included. The aquascape should closely follow the intermediate-habitat profile of the wild sites: a sandy substrate (fine, light-coloured sand suits Malawi cichlids well and shows the fishes' colours to advantage) with a generous scatter of rocks and larger stones placed to create overhangs, cave entrances, and semi-enclosed spaces. The key departure from a standard rocky-mbuna setup is that this species' males naturally dig burrows beneath individual rocks — providing flat-bottomed rocks that can be partially undermined, or positioning stones so that a male can excavate beneath them, will encourage natural behaviour. Water chemistry must match Lake Malawi's hard alkaline character: pH 7.8–8.6, total hardness in the range of 10–20 °dH, temperature 75–82 °F, and high dissolved oxygen with strong filtration. Buffering with crushed coral or aragonite substrate or a purpose-made Malawi salt mix maintains the required pH stability. Salinity, tannins, and soft acidic water conditions are all contraindicated.
Diet is the single most important management variable for mbuna health and is often poorly understood by keepers who approach them through a general-cichlid lens. Maylandia sp. 'patricki' is an aufwuchs grazer whose gut is adapted to high-fibre, low-protein material. The primary diet should be spirulina-based flake or pellet, algae wafers, blanched vegetables, and similar plant-heavy preparations. Meaty foods — bloodworm, brine shrimp, beef heart, high-protein cichlid pellets — should be withheld entirely or given only as an infrequent supplement at most. Chronic high-protein feeding predisposes mbuna to Malawi bloat (a loosely defined syndrome of abdominal distension, lethargy, rapid deterioration, and high mortality, likely driven by dysbiosis of gut flora), which is a leading cause of preventable death in the genus. Multiple small feedings per day of plant-based food are preferable to one large meal.
Tankmate selection follows standard mbuna rules with one additional consideration. Maylandia sp. 'patricki' males are territorial and moderately aggressive, comparable in intensity to other mid-sized Maylandia. A single-species colony (one male, several females) is the safest and most visually rewarding arrangement. If a mixed Malawi community is preferred, suitable companions are other mbuna of dissimilar body shape, pattern, or coloration — species that do not closely resemble the resident male in blue-violet and orange. Congeners and similarly coloured Maylandia should be avoided because males pursue them with disproportionate aggression. Bottom-dwelling Malawi species such as Synodontis catfishes are generally tolerated. Victorians, Tanganyikans, or soft-water cichlids are not appropriate companions given the chemistry mismatch. Perhaps the most important rule for keepers: Maylandia sp. 'patricki' should not be mixed with other location forms of the same or similar undescribed Maylandia, and hybridization with congeners must be scrupulously avoided. The fish's value to both science and the hobby depends entirely on keeping location forms genetically distinct; hybrid offspring are worthless for any serious purpose and displace the wild-type in captive stocks.
Breeding in the aquarium is straightforward for an experienced mbuna keeper. Males will spawn readily with receptive females in a well-maintained, appropriately decorated tank. The female broods eggs and larvae orally for approximately three weeks. To protect the brood, brooding females can be moved to a dedicated 15–20 US gal holding tank once they are visibly carrying; this avoids the harassment that causes premature release in crowded community setups. Released fry are large enough to take finely ground spirulina-based food immediately and grow without difficulty. The colony should be maintained as a harem — one male to at least three females — to distribute the male's persistent courtship attention and reduce injury to any individual female.
Conservation
Because Maylandia sp. 'patricki' has never been formally described, it carries no IUCN Red List assessment and no CITES listing — the IUCN requires a valid Linnaean name before a species can be evaluated. It is listed here as Not Evaluated (NE) in the facts box, which faithfully reflects its status: absent from the Red List not because of any deliberate conservation decision, but because no valid name yet exists for it to be assessed under.
This is not a reason for complacency. The fish occupies a naturally restricted range — a handful of offshore reefs and islands in south-central Malawi spanning a linear distance of perhaps 93 mi — and it is a specialist of the intermediate zone whose habitat is precisely the shallow, sediment-adjacent ground most exposed to nearshore degradation. Lake Malawi faces documented and intensifying pressures: accelerating catchment deforestation and soil erosion driving sedimentation and turbidity into the inshore zone; a warming surface layer (roughly +33 °F since 1960) strengthening stratification and cutting the upwelling that supports shallow-water productivity; and chronic overfishing of the commercial fishery exerting indirect pressure on the lake's ecosystem as a whole (Chavula et al. 2023, J. Great Lakes Research 49(6):102241). The ornamental fishery that targets species like this at Mbenji Island and Nkhomo Reef has operated for decades and appears sustainable at current levels, but its continuance depends on healthy wild populations.
In practical terms, the naming gap has real consequences: a species that lacks a formal description cannot be listed, cannot be assessed, cannot be the subject of targeted protection under national or international law, and is harder to track in trade statistics. For a fish of restricted range in a pressured lake, formal description — and the IUCN evaluation that would follow — would be a meaningful step. Until that happens, its status sits in the awkward category of ecologically real but nomenclaturally absent.