Taxonomy & naming
Stigmatochromis sp. "Pleurospilus Mdoka" is an informal, unpublished designation. It has no describing author, no type specimen assigned to it, and no entry of its own in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes. "Pleurospilus" in the trade name refers to the described species Stigmatochromis pleurospilus, erected in the genus's 1989 Eccles & Trewavas revision and diagnosed by three small melanin spots — on the upper side below the lateral line, between the lateral lines, and at the base of the caudal fin — that mark it apart from otherwise similar congeners. Pleurospilus itself is documented from very few known specimens, so any additional population recognised as resembling it, like this one from Mdoka, adds useful field data even without a formal description. The "Mdoka" tag records the collection locality: a site on Lake Malawi's northern Malawian shore. Until a taxonomic comparison is published, this population should be treated as provisionally allied to S. pleurospilus rather than confirmed as that species.
Morphology
Stigmatochromis pleurospilus, the species this form resembles, is diagnosed by a distinctive triad of small dark spots: a suprapectoral blotch below the upper lateral line, a supra-anal blotch between the lateral lines, and a spot at the end of the caudal peduncle, set on an otherwise plain, sand-toned body — the most visible of the three being the side spot that gives the species its name (Greek pleura, side, plus spilos, spot). FishBase records pleurospilus itself at a modest maximum of around 3.5 in SL, notably smaller than many Stigmatochromis congeners, though aquarium accounts of larger individuals exist unverified in the scientific literature. Whether this Mdoka population matches pleurospilus's small size and precise spot pattern, or differs in some documented respect, has not been published; field recognition of the resemblance is the current basis for grouping it under this name.
Habitat
This form is documented from Mdoka, a locality on the far-northern Malawian shore of Lake Malawi, an area that also hosts sand-dwelling populations of several other genera. Stigmatochromis pleurospilus and its relatives are associated with the sandy substrate and rock-sand transition zones typical of the genus, hunting from cover at the edges of rocky structure. Depth reports for pleurospilus in hobbyist accounts range broadly from roughly 33–131 ft, consistent with the wider ecology of sand-associated Stigmatochromis, though this has not been confirmed in the primary scientific literature. Water conditions follow the general Lake Malawi pattern for the northern basin: warm, hard, and alkaline, roughly mid-20s Celsius with an alkaline pH.
Feeding
Diet for this form specifically has not been documented, but Stigmatochromis pleurospilus is inferred to be piscivorous, hunting small fish over sandy substrate in the manner typical of the genus's ambush predators — this remains an inference from body plan and genus habit rather than a confirmed gut-content result. This Mdoka population, occupying similar habitat and carrying the same general body form, is presumed to feed similarly, taking small fish and invertebrates encountered near cover, though no dedicated feeding study exists for it.
Mating
No courtship or spawning account specific to this population, or to Stigmatochromis pleurospilus itself, has been published in detail — pleurospilus is known from too few specimens for its reproductive behaviour to have been documented in the field. By analogy with other Stigmatochromis and with Lake Malawi haplochromines generally, this Mdoka form is expected to be a polygynous mouthbrooder without a lasting pair bond, in which males hold a site near cover and display to passing females. The specific details remain unknown.
Breeding
This form is presumed to be a maternal mouthbrooder, the reproductive mode confirmed across the genus and universal among Lake Malawi's haplochromine cichlids, though no direct observation of this population's spawning has been published. A female would be expected to carry fertilised eggs in her mouth through several weeks of development before releasing free-swimming fry, with no further parental investment from either parent thereafter. Given the comparatively small size documented for S. pleurospilus, clutches for this form are expected to be modest rather than large, but no clutch-size figure has been recorded.
In the aquarium
Neither Stigmatochromis pleurospilus nor this Mdoka-allied population is established in the aquarium trade in any meaningful way; both are known essentially from limited field records rather than regular import or captive breeding. A keeper who did obtain this form should plan around the general Stigmatochromis template — sand substrate with structured rockwork offering cover, tankmates too large to be treated as prey given the genus's predatory habits, and Lake Malawi water chemistry: mid-20s Celsius, alkaline pH around 7.7–8.6, and hard water. Given how few confirmed specimens exist of either pleurospilus or this allied Mdoka population, any wild-collected stock should be documented carefully rather than assumed identical to more common Stigmatochromis in the trade.
Conservation
Stigmatochromis sp. "Pleurospilus Mdoka" has not been evaluated by the IUCN and, lacking a formal name, carries no Red List status. S. pleurospilus itself, the species it resembles, is documented from only a small number of known specimens, which suggests either genuine rarity or simply a lack of targeted survey effort — the two cannot currently be told apart. The same uncertainty applies to this Mdoka population. No fabricated status should be attached to either; the honest statement is that both remain essentially unassessed.