Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose" "Thumbi Point"

Thumbi PointTOOM-bee 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. "Heterodon Longnose" account →

Specific to Thumbi 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. "Heterodon Longnose".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5 in13 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
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 Thumbi Point population

Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Longnose" "Thumbi Point" is the Thumbi Point 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 Thumbi Point 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" "Thumbi 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)