Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Low-spot"

Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Low-spot" "Nkhotakota"

Nkhotakota — n-koh-tah-KOH-tah (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 Low-spot" account →

Specific to Nkhotakota

  • 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 Low-spot".

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 Nkhotakota population

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

Colour reference: living Nkhotakota fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Low-spot" is an undescribed deep-water cichlid recorded at Nkhotakota on the central-western Malawian shore of Lake Malawi. Its trade name links it to Otopharynx heterodon, a formally described deep-water relative known for its unusual dentition, with a descriptive qualifier — "Low-spot" — flagging a dark marking positioned low on the body, one apparent field character separating this population from other heterodon-allied forms recorded elsewhere in the lake.

Full Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Low-spot" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Otopharynx sp. "Heterodon Low-spot" "Nkhotakota"
  2. malawi.si — Otopharynx sp. "heterodon low-spot" (Konings-based species database; Nkhotakota record)
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi field authority)
  4. Cichlid Room Companion — Otopharynx (genus profile)