Mylochromis sp. "Lateristriga Nkhata" "Nkhata Bay"

Nkhata Bayn-KAH-tah BAY (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 Mylochromis sp. "Lateristriga Nkhata" account →

Specific to Nkhata Bay

  • 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 Mylochromis sp. "Lateristriga Nkhata".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size6 in15 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth16–98 ft5–30 m
DietBenthic invertivore/micro-predator over sand and rock-sand transition; the genus includes piscivorous and molluscivorous congeners, but this form's specific diet is undocumented.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; expected modest (a few dozen eggs)
Sexual dimorphismYesMales show a dark mid-lateral stripe on a paler ground colour in breeding dress; females and subordinate males are plainer and largely lack the stripe.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Nkhata Bay population

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

Colour reference: living Nkhata Bay fish at malawi.si

About the species

Mylochromis sp. "Lateristriga Nkhata" is an undescribed Lake Malawi cichlid documented from the Nkhata Bay area on the lake's western shore. Its trade name points to a mid-lateral dark stripe reminiscent of the described species Mylochromis lateristriga, a pattern shared by several members of this large, taxonomically difficult genus, while "Nkhata" fixes the population to its collection point. It is an elongate, sand-associated haplochromine recognised informally in the aquarium and field literature, and no authority, year, FishBase number, or IUCN status should ever be attached to it.

Full Mylochromis sp. "Lateristriga Nkhata" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Mylochromis sp. "Lateristriga Nkhata" "Nkhata Bay"
  2. Cichlid Room Companion — Mylochromis genus profile
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi authority)