Taxonomy & naming
Pundamilia azurea was described by Ole Seehausen and Niki Lippitsch in a 1998 paper with Bouton and Zwennes, in the course of work on the Pundamilia radiation of southern Lake Victoria. It is a Pundamilia, the rocky-shore genus that includes P. pundamilia and P. nyererei. The Catalog of Fishes lists the authority exactly as given here.
Morphology
Males of the genus are brightly coloured and females are cryptic, and the epithet azurea points to the blue of the males. Size is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas; Pundamilia are small haplochromines.
Habitat
The type locality is the Speke Gulf at Ruti Island, Lake Victoria, Tanzania, at 20 ft depth. Pundamilia live on rocky shores and islands of southern Lake Victoria. Water measurements for this species are not recorded.
Feeding
Diet in the wild is not recorded for this species. Pundamilia are generally insect and zooplankton eaters on rocky shores.
Mating
Haplochromine males defend territories over rock and display to females. Details specific to this species are not recorded.
Breeding
Like other haplochromines, it is expected to be a maternal mouthbrooder. No species-specific breeding data are recorded.
In the aquarium
Husbandry records for this species are sparse. Keepers treat Pundamilia as a group: a rock-heavy tank, hard alkaline water and more females than males. Keep it apart from closely related Pundamilia to avoid hybrids.
Conservation
No IUCN assessment is known to the atlas. Lake Victoria haplochromines have been hit by loss of water clarity, which weakens colour-based mate choice in this genus.