Otopharynx sp. "Auromarginatus Mara" "Mala Point"

Mala PointMAH-lah POYNT (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 Mara" account →

Specific to Mala Point

  • 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 Mara".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size9.5 in24 cm total length
Temperature73–82 °F23–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth16–49 ft5–15 m
DietPresumed herbivore/detritivore grazing phytoplankton and fine material over sand, following O. auromarginatus; not directly studied for this population.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form
Sexual dimorphismYesDichromatism assumed on general Malawi cichlid grounds; the specific pattern for this population is not documented.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Mala Point population

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

Colour reference: living Mala Point fish at malawi.si

About the species

Otopharynx sp. "Auromarginatus Mara" is an undescribed cichlid recorded at Mala Point in Lake Malawi. Its trade name links it to Otopharynx auromarginatus, the golden-margined hap and type species of the genus, and to Mala Point, the specific locality where this form has been collected; the precise position and country of that locality have not been established with confidence, so no coordinates are given here.

Full Otopharynx sp. "Auromarginatus Mara" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Otopharynx sp. "Auromarginatus Mara" "Mala Point"
  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)