Zebra Mbuna

Blue Malawi cichlid ( Maylandia zebra ), male

The Blue Malawi cichlid ( Maylandia zebra, Synonyms: Pseudotropheus zebra, Metriaclima zebra) is a species of African cichlids, which is endemic spread in Lake Malawi. He lives on the rocky shores of the lake and all types of cichlids that prefer the same habitat, counted as the Mbuna.

Description

The fish are 10 to 13.5 cm long. The females are brownish in color and have dark stripes. There are also orange spotted until completely orange color morphs. The males are blue to light blue, also with horizontal stripes. The males have significantly more egg spots on the anal fin than the females.

Dissemination

The Blue Malawi cichlid is mainly on the northwest coast of Lake Malawi, which is also called Lake Nyasa, distributed. Here it occurs between Cape Manulo and Kande Island. However, there are populations on the east coast of the lake, which differ in color slightly from those of the west coast. The populations in the far north of the lake are already considered by many researchers as a separate species, Maylandia emmiltos.

Way of life

Nutrition

Like other mbuna, the Blue Malawi cichlid feed mainly on algae growing on the rocks. He swims here at right angles to the rock surface and grazes with its terminal mouth from the plant material. The fish also swim through the open water in search of plankton. The females come there often in groups. Sexually mature males defend a territory near caves. There also the mating takes place.

Reproduction

During mating, the females choose the right one for them males from optical aspects. When several closely related populations are mixed in the laboratory experiment, it still comes mainly matings within the same population.

The Blue Cichlids are mouth brooders. The females hatch the boy 's mouth and the mother watched the boys until a few weeks after they are hatched.

Attitude

In the aquarium maintenance should be introduced similar to their home rocks, stones and plants. If the pool is not greater than 1.20 m, only one male should be kept with several females.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

The genus Maylandia was formerly a subgenus of the genus Pseudotropheus, which also includes the Blue Malawi cichlid, Pseudotropheus time ( Maylandia ) zebra called, belonged. 1997 10 species of the Pseudotropheus zebra species complex were rewritten and summarized under the new generic name Metriaclima. According to the authors of the new genus the name Maylandia would be for the collection to the genus had not been available, but would have shown a nomen nudum. Since then, the literature both generic names in use, some scientific authors continue to use the old genus name Pseudotropheus to go out of the way the name conflict ( cf. Knight 2004).