Otopharynx sp. "Argyrosoma Deep" "South East Arm"

South East ArmSOWTH EEST ARM (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 Otopharynx sp. "Argyrosoma Deep" account →

Specific to South East Arm

  • 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 Otopharynx sp. "Argyrosoma Deep".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size6 in15 cm total length
Temperature73–81 °F23–27 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth49–115 ft15–35 m
DietPresumed dual sand-and-plankton feeder like O. argyrosoma, though a deep, low-light population may lean more heavily on benthic sediment feeding; not directly studied.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form
Sexual dimorphismYesDichromatism assumed on general Malawi cichlid grounds; the specific pattern for this deep-water form is not documented.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The South East Arm population

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

Colour reference: living South East Arm fish at malawi.si

About the species

Otopharynx sp. "Argyrosoma Deep" is an undescribed cichlid recorded in the South East Arm of Lake Malawi, one of the lake's great southern basins and historically a major trawling ground for the chambo fishery. Its trade name links it to Otopharynx argyrosoma, the described silvery, sand-dwelling hap for which the genus's open-water and cave-associated lineages are often compared, and marks it out as a population collected from notably deeper water than the shallow schools typically reported for that species.

Full Otopharynx sp. "Argyrosoma Deep" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Otopharynx sp. "Argyrosoma Deep" "South East Arm"
  2. malawi.si — Otopharynx (Konings-based species database; Malawi genus overview)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi field authority)
  4. Cichlid Room Companion — Otopharynx (genus profile)