Utaka
Utaka ("ooh-TAW-cow") is the generic term for around 30 cichlid species from the East African Lake Malawi . The name, like that of the mbuna , comes from the local fishermen. All Utaka species belong to the two genera Copadichromis and Mchenga .
Way of life
Utaka species are not tied to rock habitats like the mbuna, but live in sometimes very large swarms of several thousand individuals and also various species in the open water, but near the rocky coast or over sandy soils. They feed on small planktonic crustaceans , which they swim against the current and snap open with their wide, tubular mouth, fixing with their large eyes. Like almost all cichlids in Lake Malawi, the Utaka are mouthbrooders . Although they live in open water, it has been observed in Copadichromis chrysonotus that the males form territories in open water. This observation could also apply to other Utaka species.
source
- malawicichlids.com What Is an "Utaka"?