Melanochromis sp. "Parallelus Mbweca" "Mbweca Rocks"

Mbweca Rocksm-BWEH-cah ROKS (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 Melanochromis sp. "Parallelus Mbweca" account →

Specific to Mbweca Rocks

  • 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 Melanochromis sp. "Parallelus Mbweca".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size3.5 in9 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth10–66 ft3–20 m
DietNot documented for this population; genus includes both aufwuchs grazers and more opportunistic drift/particle feeders
BreedingMaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this population
Sexual dimorphismYesTrade name implies a pattern of parallel horizontal stripes as the key marker; not formally described. Genus-typical colour reversal in breeding males (dark stripes lighten, body darkens) may apply but is unconfirmed for this population
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Mbweca Rocks population

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

Colour reference: living Mbweca Rocks fish at malawi.si

About the species

Melanochromis sp. "Parallelus Mbweca" is an undescribed rock cichlid recorded at Mbweca Rocks on the Mozambique shore of Lake Malawi. Its trade name describes a striping pattern, parallel dark lines running the length of the body, rather than invoking any single described Melanochromis, and pairs that descriptor with the reef where this population was collected. It has not been formally described.

Full Melanochromis sp. "Parallelus Mbweca" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Melanochromis sp. "Parallelus Mbweca" "Mbweca Rocks"
  2. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat, 5th ed. (Cichlid Press)
  3. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Genus record (authority for valid names; this trade name has no catalog entry)