Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Maylandia: In honour of Hans J. Mayland, German ictiologist (Ref. 45335); nkhunguensis: The specific name refers to one of the reefs at which the species is endemic (Ref. 86409).
Eponymy: Hans-Joachim Mayland (1928–2004) was a German ichthyologist, aquarist, photographer and writer. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical; 13°S - 14°S
Africa: Lake Malawi in Mozambique (Ref. 86409).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.3 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86409)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 17 - 18; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 8. Diagnosis: A moderately-sloped head and bicuspid teeth in the outer row of the jaws place this species in Maylandia (Ref. 86409). Both males and females are light blue, fading to white ventrally, distinguishing them from all other members of Maylandia, except M. callainos; male M. nkhunguensis are distinguished from those of the similarly coloured M. chrysomallos from the Gome population, M. estherae, and M. callainos, the latter two species of the sediment-free rocky habitat, by the yellow base of the pectoral fin, vs. no yellow pigment in males of the other three species; female M. nkhunguensis are light blue, lighter than those of the only other known species with all-blue females, M. callainos, which are a darker cobalt-blue; female M. estherae are either brown or orange/red); Maylandia nkhunguensis is further distinguished from M. callainos by a shorter lower jaw, 29.4-34.1% of head length vs. 34.9-43.3% (Ref. 86409).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Ciccotto, P.J., A. Konings and J.R. Stauffer Jr., 2011. Descriptions of five new species in the genus Metriaclima (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Malaŵi, Africa. Zootaxa 2738:1-25. (Ref. 86409)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01445 (0.00674 - 0.03099), b=2.99 (2.82 - 3.16), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.3 ±0.1 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
