Taxonomy & naming
The name is a trade and database label. It has no valid binomial, authority or year. malawi.si carries a species page under "Otopharynx sp. 'blue longnose'" but, in the version the atlas holds, it lists no collection localities. "Nova" in the trade name is not explained in the sources used here.
Otopharynx is a genus of Lake Malawi haplochromines usually known as sand and rock-edge dwellers, with the best-known species being the larger, longer-snouted ones. Which species this form is closest to has not been established here.
Morphology
Not documented in the sources available. The name implies a blue-bodied male with a long snout, but size, pattern and sexual dimorphism are not recorded and none is claimed.
Habitat
No collection localities were available for this form, so its range is unrecorded here beyond Lake Malawi itself. Habitat, depth and substrate are not documented.
Feeding
Not documented for this form.
Mating
Not documented for this form.
Breeding
Not documented for this form. Otopharynx, like all Lake Malawi haplochromines, are maternal mouthbrooders.
In the aquarium
Offered occasionally as "Nova Blue Longnose" in the trade. Husbandry data for this form were not found. Lake Malawi haplochromines are generally kept in hard, alkaline water at tropical temperatures with sand and rock, and larger Otopharynx can be aggressive; treat any seller's care notes as the seller's own.
Conservation
An undescribed form has no IUCN assessment, and no population or range data were found for it.