Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose"

Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose" "Lundo Island"

Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose" (Hongi Island, Lundo Island, Thumbi Point)

Lundo Island — LOON-doh 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. "Heterodon Longnose" account →

Specific to Lundo 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. "Heterodon Longnose".

CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesOtopharynx auromarginatusdescribed as Tilapia auromarginata Boulenger 1908
Scientific size5 in13 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)up to 446 ppm
Habitat watermoderately soft, alkaline, well-buffered79 ppmLake Malawi
Depth66–164 ft20–50 m
DietPresumed benthic invertivore picking prey — likely molluscs and insect larvae — from soft, deep-lake sediment using an elongated snout, following the pattern of its close relative O. heterodon.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form
Sexual dimorphismYesDichromatism assumed on general Malawi cichlid grounds; the specific pattern for this form is not documented.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Lundo Island population

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

Colour reference: living Lundo Island fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose" is an undescribed cichlid from deep water off the Tanzanian shore of Lake Malawi, recorded at Hongi Island, Lundo Island, and Thumbi Point. Its trade name links it to Otopharynx heterodon, a formally described deep-water relative named for its unusual dentition, and to the elongated snout the two fish share — an adaptation associated with picking prey from deep, sediment-covered substrate rather than grazing rock or open sand.

Full Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose" "Lundo 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)
Add this species card to your site

Paste this into a product listing, club page or blog post. It shows this species’ size, water ranges and conservation status, kept current from the atlas, with a link to this page. Free to use; keep the link intact, as it is the attribution. How the card works.

<div data-atlas="species/otopharynx-sp-heterodon-longnose-lundo-island"><a href="https://www.aquaristatlas.com/species/otopharynx-sp-heterodon-longnose-lundo-island/">Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose" "Lundo Island" on Aquarist Atlas</a></div>
<script src="https://www.aquaristatlas.com/embed/v1/card.js" async referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></script>