Otopharynx sp. "Auromarginatus Goldhead" "Nkolongwe"

Nkolongwen-koh-LOHN-gweh (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. "Auromarginatus Goldhead" account →

Specific to Nkolongwe

  • 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. "Auromarginatus Goldhead".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5.5 in14 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth26–98 ft8–30 m
DietBenthic/intermediate-habitat invertivore; forages over sand and among scattered rock near reef structure, in the general manner documented for the auromarginatus complex.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; expected modest (a few dozen eggs)
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males expected to show a gold-margined fin pattern as in Otopharynx auromarginatus, with additional golden colour on the head; females plainer and silvery. Body ground colour not separately documented for this population.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Nkolongwe population

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

Colour reference: living Nkolongwe fish at malawi.si

About the species

Otopharynx sp. "Auromarginatus Goldhead" is an undescribed Lake Malawi cichlid recorded from Minos Reef and Nkolongwe on the Mozambican shore of the southeast arm. Its trade name echoes the described species Otopharynx auromarginatus — Latin for "gold-margined," for the golden edge on the fins of breeding males — with "Goldhead" marking additional golden colour extending onto the head of this particular population. It is recognised informally in the aquarium and field literature as part of, or closely allied to, that species complex, and no authority, year, FishBase number, or IUCN status should ever be attached to it.

Full Otopharynx sp. "Auromarginatus Goldhead" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Otopharynx sp. "Auromarginatus Goldhead" "Nkolongwe"
  2. Cichlid Room Companion — Otopharynx genus profile
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi authority)