Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Pseudotropheus sp. "Variable Eastern"

Pseudotropheus sp. "Variable Eastern" "Meponda"

Pseudotropheus sp. "Variable Eastern" (Gome, Meponda)

Meponda — meh-POHN-dah (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. "Variable Eastern" account →

Specific to Meponda

  • 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. "Variable Eastern".

CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesPseudotropheus williamsidescribed as Chromis williamsi Günther 1894
Scientific size4.5 in11 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
Depth10–49 ft3–15 m
DietAlgae grazer (Aufwuchs); comb-like unicuspid teeth scrape algal films and associated small invertebrates from rock surfaces.
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; expected modest (a few dozen eggs)
Sexual dimorphismYesBreeding male colouration is reported to vary noticeably between individuals rather than following one fixed pattern — the defining feature named in the trade name. Females and subordinate males are plainer.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Meponda population

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

Colour reference: living Meponda fish at malawi.si →

About the species

Pseudotropheus sp. "Variable Eastern" is an undescribed mbuna recorded from Gome on the Malawian shore and Meponda on the Mozambican shore, both in the southern part of Lake Malawi. Its trade name is explicit about what is and is not known: "Variable" for a population in which individual colouration is reported to differ noticeably from fish to fish rather than following one fixed male pattern, and "Eastern" for its position on the lake's eastern side. It is recognised informally in the field and aquarium literature, and no authority, year, FishBase number, or IUCN status should ever be attached to it.

Full Pseudotropheus sp. "Variable Eastern" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Pseudotropheus sp. "Variable Eastern" "Meponda"
  2. Cichlid Room Companion — Pseudotropheus genus profile
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press; foremost Malawi authority)
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