Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Pseudotropheus sp. "Socolofi Nkolongwe"

Pseudotropheus sp. "Socolofi Nkolongwe" "Nkolongwe"

Nkolongwe — n-koh-LOHN-gweh (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. "Socolofi Nkolongwe" account →

Specific to Nkolongwe

  • 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. "Socolofi Nkolongwe".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size4 in10 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth13–49 ft4–15 m
DietAufwuchs-grazing limnivore over rock and adjacent sand
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this population; the presumed close relative Chindongo socolofi is reported at ~10–20 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesNot independently documented for this population; the presumed close relative Chindongo socolofi shows subtle dimorphism, with both sexes powder-blue and males only slightly larger and more intensely coloured.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Nkolongwe population

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

Colour reference: living Nkolongwe fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Pseudotropheus sp. "Socolofi Nkolongwe" is an undescribed mbuna recorded from Nkolongwe on the Mozambican shore of Lake Malawi, within the same general stretch of coast — running roughly from Cobwe to Tumbi Point — documented as the native range of the well-known powder-blue cichlid, Chindongo socolofi. Its trade name signals a resemblance to that species, though it is traded under the older genus name Pseudotropheus rather than the Chindongo socolofi carries since a 2016 revision. It has no describing author, no FishBase page and no IUCN assessment.

Full Pseudotropheus sp. "Socolofi Nkolongwe" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Pseudotropheus sp. "Socolofi Nkolongwe" "Nkolongwe"
  2. Cichlid Room Companion — genus Chindongo (Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016)
  3. Li, S., Konings, A. F. & Stauffer, J. R. (2016) — A revision of the Pseudotropheus elongatus species group, with description of the new genus Chindongo (Zootaxa 4168: 353–381)
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)