Otopharynx sp. "Decorus Featherfin" "Kande Island"

Kande IslandKAHN-deh 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 Otopharynx sp. "Decorus Featherfin" account →

Specific to Kande 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 Otopharynx sp. "Decorus Featherfin".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size7 in18 cm total length
Temperature75–79 °F24–26 °C
pH7.5–8.5alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth20–66 ft6–20 m
DietPresumed visual sand-sifting insectivore, scanning sand with large eyes then biting for hidden invertebrates, following O. decorus; not directly documented for this population.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; genus-typical, a few dozen eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males reported with elongated "featherfin" dorsal and anal rays; the precise colour pattern of this form is not documented.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Kande Island population

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

Colour reference: living Kande Island fish at malawi.si

About the species

Otopharynx sp. "Decorus Featherfin" is an undescribed cichlid recorded at Kande Island, in the northern part of Lake Malawi. Its trade name links it to Otopharynx decorus, a described sand-dwelling relative already notable for an unusually high dorsal-fin ray count, and to "featherfin," suggesting further elongated, trailing extensions to the dorsal and anal fins in this population's breeding males.

Full Otopharynx sp. "Decorus Featherfin" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Otopharynx sp. "Decorus Featherfin" "Kande Island"
  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)