Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako" "Likoma Island"

Likoma Islandlee-KOH-mah EYE-land (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 Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako" account →

Specific to Likoma Island

  • 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 Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako".

CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size4 in10 cm total length
Temperature75–82 °F24–28 °C
pH7.7–8.6alkaline
Hardness (GH)very hardup to 446 ppm
Depth7–49 ft2–15 m
DietAlgae grazer working turf within narrow rock crevices, typical of elongatus-grade mbuna
Breedingmaternal mouthbroodernot documented for this form; genus-typical, 15–25 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesMales expected to be more saturated (commonly blue with dark barring in this body-shape group) than plainer females; precise pattern not documented for this form.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Likoma Island population

Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako" "Likoma Island" is the Likoma Island population of Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako", a geographic colour form from the Malawi coast of Lake Malawi in the central part of the lake. It is the same species as Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako", distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Likoma Island fish at malawi.si

About the species

Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako" is an undescribed, slender-bodied mbuna recorded around Likoma Island and neighbouring sites in the north-central waters of Lake Malawi, straddling Malawian and Tanzanian shorelines. It belongs to the "elongatus" body-shape grade — a slimmer, more crevice-adapted build than the typical deep-bodied Tropheops — a form recognised in several genera across the lake rather than a single lineage. The trade name pairs that body shape with the locality "Mbako." It has no describing author, FishBase record, or IUCN status.

Full Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako" account →

Sources

  1. malawi.si — Tropheops sp. "Elongatus Mbako" "Likoma Island"
  2. malawi.si — Tropheops species database
  3. Cichlid Room Companion — Tropheops genus profile
  4. Konings, A. — Malawi Cichlids in their Natural Habitat (Cichlid Press)