Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; depth range 2 - 4 m. Tropical; 11°S - 12°S
Africa: Endemic to Lake Malawi. Occurs in Ruarwe, Nkhata Bay and Lion's Cove.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 13.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5684)
Found among the beds of Vallisneria in sheltered bays. Feeds by brushing loose algal strands from rocks, sand, and plant leaves (Ref. 5595).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Konings, A., 2007. Malawi cichlids in their natural habitat. 4th edition. Cichlid Press, El Paso, USA. 424p. (Ref. 79521)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5005 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.0 ±0.00 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).