Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue"

Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue" "Maleri Island"

Maleri Island — mah-LEH-ree EYE-land (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 Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue" account →

Specific to Maleri Island

  • 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 Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size4.5 in11 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth0–66 ft0–20 m
DietZooplanktivore; feeds in mid-water schools on copepods and other zooplankton (genus-typical; not directly documented for this form)
Breedingmaternal mouthbrooder; male builds sand structures and defends a lek territory (genus-typical)not documented for this form; genus-typical for small Nyassachromis, roughly 20-40 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males reported to develop blue body coloration with black markings; females and non-breeding males retain the plain silvery colouration typical of the genus. Not separately documented for this specific population.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Maleri Island population

Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue" "Maleri Island" is the Maleri Island population of Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue", a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Maleri Island fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue" is an undescribed open-water haplochromine cichlid from Lake Malawi, recorded at Maleri Island and named for its resemblance to Nyassachromis argyrosoma, the type species of the genus, combined with a blue breeding-male coloration. Like its relatives, it is expected to be a schooling zooplankton feeder rather than a rock-dwelling territorial species. It has no formal description, no describing author, and no FishBase entry.

Full Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Nyassachromis sp. "Argyrosoma Blue" "Maleri Island"
  2. FishBase — Nyassachromis argyrosoma (Regan, 1922), the type species this form is compared to
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; genus Nyassachromis)
  4. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — online database (authority for valid fish names; genus Nyassachromis, Turner 1994)