Copadichromis azureus

Copadichromis azureus

Copadichromis azureus is an African cichlid, which is endemic in southern Malawi and belongs to the group of Utaka cichlids.

Features

Copadichromis azureus reaches a body length of 12 to 14.6 cm, making it one of the smaller - Utaka cichlids. Adult males are bright, metallic blue in color, not only the body, but also on the unpaired fins. Depending on the mood ten dark, vertical bands are visible on the sides of the body. A characteristic feature of the species are three dark spots on the sides of the body, but are covered with fertile males ready from the vertical bands. Females are inconspicuously colored gray-brown, the three spots occur more more apparent.

• Fins formula: Dorsal XV-XVIII/10-12; Anal III/8-9.

Way of life

Copadichromis azureus lives near the coast in the southern part of Lake Malawi at depths of 10-25 meters in the transition zone of rock zone to the sandy coast. The territorial males build in the sandy seabed large, crater-shaped nests, which have a diameter of 19-33 cm and in which the female lays the eggs, but immediately after spawning in the mouth takes ( mouth brooding ). Parental care will fall exclusively on the females and the young fish leave the mouth after about three weeks if they are already highly developed and independent. Copadichromis azureus feeds on plankton and benthic invertebrates.

System

Copadichromis azureus was years before its first description imported for aquarium purposes, assigned to the genus Haplochromis and performed in older aquaristischer literature under the name Haplochromis chrysonotus " Mbenji " or Haplochromis chrysonotus " picturesque ". The first description was in 1999 by the Dutch ichthyologist Ad Konings.