Pseudotropheus sp. "Lucerna Fin Spot" "Membe Point"

Membe PointMEHM-beh 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 Pseudotropheus sp. "Lucerna Fin Spot" account →

Specific to Membe 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 Pseudotropheus sp. "Lucerna Fin Spot".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size4 in10 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth10–59 ft3–18 m
DietAlgae grazer (aufwuchs), scraping the algal mat and associated microfauna from rock surfaces (genus-typical Pseudotropheus)
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; expected modest (a few dozen eggs), genus-typical
Sexual dimorphismMinimalNo sexual dimorphism documented for this specific population beyond the marked fin spot.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Membe Point population

Pseudotropheus sp. "Lucerna Fin Spot" "Membe Point" is the Membe Point population of Pseudotropheus sp. "Lucerna Fin Spot", 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. "Lucerna Fin Spot", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Membe Point fish at malawi.si

About the species

Pseudotropheus sp. "Lucerna Fin Spot" is an undescribed mbuna cichlid recorded from Membe Point, on the northeastern shore of Likoma Island in Lake Malawi — a stretch of rock also known for the range of the Critically Endangered Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos. Its trade name pairs the "lucerna" designation shared with a small group of related trade-named Pseudotropheus with a marked fin spot reported as its distinguishing field character. It has never been given a formal scientific description; no authority, IUCN status, or FishBase entry should be attached to it.

Full Pseudotropheus sp. "Lucerna Fin Spot" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Pseudotropheus sp. "Lucerna Fin Spot" "Membe Point"
  2. Cichlid Room Companion — genus Pseudotropheus
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)