Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Nimbochromis polystigma

Nimbochromis polystigma "Chilumba"Hyena Cichlid

Nimbochromis polystigma (Chilumba, Masinje, Mazinzi Reef, Otter Point, Selewa, Taiwanee Reef)

Chilumba — chee-LOOM-bah (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 Nimbochromis polystigma account →

Specific to Chilumba

  • 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 Nimbochromis polystigma.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2018
CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesNimbochromis livingstoniidescribed as Hemichromis livingstonii Günther 1894
Scientific size9 in23 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.8alkaline
Hardness (GH)up to 179 ppm
Habitat watermoderately soft, alkaline, well-buffered79 ppmLake Malawi
Depth0–249 ft0–76 m
DietAmbush piscivore (small fish)
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooderGenus-typical; dozens of large eggs per spawn (not specifically documented)
Sexual dimorphismYesBoth sexes blotched most of the time; breeding males turn metallic blue across face and flanks with yellow/orange in the fins
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Chilumba population

Nimbochromis polystigma "Chilumba" is the Chilumba population of Nimbochromis polystigma, a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the far northern part of the lake. It is the same species as Nimbochromis polystigma, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Chilumba fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Nimbochromis polystigma is a spotted, fish-eating cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi, where it patrols the seam between rock, sand, and weed beds across most of the lake. Its claim to fame is a con: it can drop to the bottom and lie motionless, its blotched flanks reading like a dead, decaying fish, until smaller cichlids drift close enough to ambush. Reaching close to a foot long and built around a wide, predatory mouth, it is a charismatic but genuinely large and aggressive aquarium fish that asks more of a keeper than its supermarket-friendly looks suggest.

Full Nimbochromis polystigma account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Nimbochromis polystigma "Chilumba"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Nimbochromis polystigma (species record)
  3. FishBase: Nimbochromis polystigma (Regan, 1922)
  4. ITIS Report: Nimbochromis polystigma
  5. FishBase Field Guide: Nimbochromis polystigma (IUCN status, territory notes)
  6. McKaye, K.R. 1981. Field observation on death feigning: a unique hunting behavior by the predatory cichlid, Haplochromis livingstoni, of Lake Malawi. Environmental Biology of Fishes 6:361-365
  7. IUCN Red List — Nimbochromis polystigma "Chilumba"
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