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↑ Collection form of Pseudotropheus sp. "Dwarf Nkhata"

Pseudotropheus sp. "Dwarf Nkhata" "Nkhata Bay"

Pseudotropheus sp. "Dwarf Nkhata" (Nkhata Bay)

Nkhata Bay — n-KAH-tah BAY (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 Pseudotropheus sp. "Dwarf Nkhata" account →

Specific to Nkhata Bay

  • 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 Pseudotropheus sp. "Dwarf Nkhata".

CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesPseudotropheus williamsidescribed as Chromis williamsi Günther 1894
Scientific size3 in7 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
Depth7–49 ft2–15 m
DietAlgae grazer (aufwuchs), scraping the algal mat and associated microfauna from rock surfaces (genus-typical Pseudotropheus)
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; presumed modest, plausibly toward the low end of the genus's roughly 10-30 egg range given its reported small size
Sexual dimorphismMinimalNo sexual dimorphism documented for this form beyond the genus-typical pattern.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Nkhata Bay population

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

Colour reference: living Nkhata Bay fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Pseudotropheus sp. "Dwarf Nkhata" is an undescribed mbuna cichlid recorded from Nkhata Bay on the north-central shore of Lake Malawi. Its trade name flags the trait that field workers and collectors report for it: a noticeably smaller adult size than typical Pseudotropheus, paired with its collection locality. It has never been given a scientific name; no authority, IUCN status, or FishBase entry should be attached to it.

Full Pseudotropheus sp. "Dwarf Nkhata" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Pseudotropheus sp. "Dwarf Nkhata" "Nkhata Bay"
  2. Cichlid Room Companion — genus Pseudotropheus
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)
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