Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus "South East Arm"

South East ArmSOWTH EEST ARM (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 Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus account →

Specific to South East Arm

  • 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 Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus.

CARESNOT LISTED
Temperature72–82 °F22–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depthnot recorded
DietPiscivorous open-water predator; large eyes suggest foraging in dimmer, deeper strata than related species
BreedingMaternal mouthbroodernot documented
Sexual dimorphismYesSexual dimorphism presumed typical of haplochromine cichlids; specific pattern not documented for this species.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The South East Arm population

Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus "South East Arm" is the South East Arm population of Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus, a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living South East Arm fish at malawi.si

About the species

Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus is a pelagic, pike-like predatory cichlid documented from the South East Arm of Lake Malawi. Its Latin epithet, "large-eyed," points to enlarged eyes relative to its relatives — a plausible adaptation for hunting in the dim light of deeper open water, where this genus of elongated, silvery mid-water hunters spends much of its life far from any rock or sand.

Full Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus "South East Arm"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Rhamphochromis macrophthalmus
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)