Copadichromis trewavasae

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Copadichromis trewavasae
Systematics
Order : Cichliformes
Family : Cichlids (Cichlidae)
Subfamily : Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe : Haplochromini
Genre : Copadichromis
Type : Copadichromis trewavasae
Scientific name
Copadichromis trewavasae
Konings , 1999

Copadichromis trewavasae is an endemic species of cichlid from Lake Malawi in East Africa. Like all Malawi cichlids, it belongs to the mouth breeders . It is named after the ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas .

Occurrence

The species is endemic to the East African Lake Malawi , especially on the Mozambican coast in the area around the islands of Likoma , Lupingo, Msisi and Chizumulu . The fish live in the transition zone between sand and rock habitats in water depths between 10 and 30 m.

features

Males reach a total length of max. 16 cm, females one of 12 cm. During the breeding season, the underside of the body and head of the males turn black. The rest of the body, above the sideline, is blue or light blue whitish. Females have a gray head with silvery gill covers and flanks. There are three black spots on their sides. They can hardly be distinguished from the females of Copadichromis verduyni .

On the premaxillary and in the lower jaw the fish have 2 to 4 rows of teeth, the teeth of the outer rows are two-pointed and not uniform. In females and not yet fully grown males, the teeth of the inner rows are single-pointed or three-pointed.

Fins formula : dorsal XV – XVII / 9–12, anal III / 8–9.

Way of life

The males are territorial, females live in small groups with usually more than ten animals. The fish stay near the bottom. The cichlids feed on plankton and bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Like all cichlids in Lake Malawi, Copadichromis trewavasae is an ovophilic mouthbrooder .

literature

  • Erwin Schraml: Copadichromis trewavasae. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 253.
  • Ad Konings: Atlas of the Malawi Cichlids. bede-Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden 1998, ISBN 3-931792-09-9 .

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