Tramitichromis variabilis "Senga Bay"

Senga BaySEHN-gah BAY (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 Tramitichromis variabilis account →

Specific to Senga Bay

  • 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 Tramitichromis variabilis.

CARESNOT LISTED
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depthnot recorded
DietSand-sifting invertivore, foraging open sand for buried invertebrates (typical of Lethrinops relatives)
BreedingMaternal mouthbroodernot documented
Sexual dimorphismYesSexual dimorphism presumed typical of the genus; specific pattern not documented for this species.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Senga Bay population

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

Colour reference: living Senga Bay fish at malawi.si

About the species

Tramitichromis variabilis is a sand-dwelling haplochromine cichlid documented from Senga Bay on Lake Malawi's central-western shore. Its Latin epithet, "variable," points to a species whose colour or pattern varies noticeably between individuals or populations — a common naming choice among the lake's sand-dwelling haplochromines, whose subtle differences often blur between what looks like one species and several closely related ones.

Full Tramitichromis variabilis account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Tramitichromis variabilis "Senga Bay"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Tramitichromis variabilis
  3. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)