Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Nimbochromis polystigma

Nimbochromis polystigma "Masinje"

Masinje — mah-SEEN-jeh (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 Masinje

  • 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
Scientific size9.1 in23 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.8alkaline
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 Masinje population

Nimbochromis polystigma "Masinje" is the Masinje population of Nimbochromis polystigma, a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the south-central 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 Masinje 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 "Masinje"
  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