Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Placidochromis sp. "Electra Mozambique"

Placidochromis sp. "Electra Mozambique" "Lumessi"

Placidochromis sp. "Electra Mozambique" (Chiofu, Lumessi)

Lumessi — loo-MEH-see (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 Placidochromis sp. "Electra Mozambique" account →

Specific to Lumessi

  • 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 Placidochromis sp. "Electra Mozambique".

CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesPlacidochromis longimanusdescribed as Haplochromis longimanus Trewavas 1935
Scientific size6 in15 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)up to 446 ppm
Habitat watermoderately soft, alkaline, well-buffered79 ppmLake Malawi
Depth33–115 ft10–35 m
DietBenthic invertivore over sand and intermediate rock-sand habitat, in the general manner documented for the Electra complex and the wider genus.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; expected modest (several dozen eggs)
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding males expected to show the Electra complex's uniform deep-blue colouration; females and non-breeding males are plainer and silvery. No colour distinction from other Electra populations beyond locality is documented.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Lumessi population

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

Colour reference: living Lumessi fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Placidochromis sp. "Electra Mozambique" is an undescribed Lake Malawi cichlid recorded from Chiofu on the Malawian shore and Lumessi on the Mozambican shore, both in the southern part of the lake. Like Placidochromis sp. "Electra Blackfin" from the far north, it belongs to the "Electra" complex — a solid, deep-blue Placidochromis that has circulated in the aquarium and field literature for decades without a formal description, among the most recognisable undescribed cichlids in the Lake Malawi hobby. This population carries the geographic tag "Mozambique" for its collection area. No authority, year, FishBase number, or IUCN status should ever be attached to it.

Full Placidochromis sp. "Electra Mozambique" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Placidochromis sp. "Electra Mozambique" "Lumessi"
  2. Camenius, L. (1996) — "Placidochromis electra, an interesting observation", Cichlid Room Companion
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi authority)
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