Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Mbuna is the common name for a large group of African cichlids from Lake Malawi, and are members of the haplochromine family. The name mbuna means "rockfish" in the language of the Tonga people of Malawi. As the name implies, most mbuna are cichlids that live among the piles of rocks and along the rocky shores of Lake Malawi, as opposed to the utaka, cichlids that live in the open water or on sandy shores or soft substrates. Some species of mbuna are highly sexually dimorphic, although many are not. Among biologists, almost all of the cichlid species of Lake Malawi, including mbuna and non mbuna such as the utaka, are believed to have descended from one or a very few species that became isolated in the lake. With rising water levels, new habitats could be colonized and the many isolated rocky outcrops allowed new mbuna species to form. Their striking colors, intriguing behavioral characteristics, and relative hardiness make them very popular despite their unique demands for the home aquarist.
Maylandia or Metriaclima is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. They belong to the mbuna (rock-dwelling) haplochromines.
Melanochromis is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa. Ecologically, they belong to the rock-dwelling mbuna cichlids of Lake Malawi.
Dr. Ethelwynn Trewavas was an ichthyologist at the British Museum of Natural History. She was known for her work on the families Cichlidae and Sciaenidae. She worked with Charles Tate Regan, another ichthyologist and taxonomist.
Iodotropheus is a small genus of cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in east Africa. The genus is distinguished from other genera of mbuna by the upper lip which is usually connected medially to the skin of the snout by a frenum; by its small, terminal mouth; by the outer teeth of both jaws, which are unequally bicuspid and loosely spaced, the tooth shafts inclined slightly toward the jaw symphysis; by the anterior teeth of the upper jaw being much longer and more robust than the lateral and posterior teeth. The rusty cichlid or lavender mbuna, Iodotropheus sprengerae is the most commonly encountered member of the genus in the aquarium trade.
Otopharynx is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa.
The haplochromine cichlids are a tribe of cichlids in subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae called Haplochromini. This group includes the type genus (Haplochromis) plus a number of closely related genera such as Aulonocara, Astatotilapia, and Chilotilapia. They are endemic to eastern, southern and northern Africa, except for Astatotilapia flaviijosephi in the Middle East. A common name in a scientific context is East African cichlids – while they are not restricted to that region, they are the dominant Cichlidae there. This tribe was extensively studied by Ethelwynn Trewavas, who made major reviews in 1935 and 1989, at the beginning and at the end of her career in ichthyology. Even today, numerous new species are being described each year.
Melanochromis auratus, the auratus cichlid, is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family. It is also known as golden mbuna and Malawi golden cichlid. It is endemic to the southern region of Lake Malawi, particularly from Jalo Reef southward along the entire western coast down to Crocodile Rocks.
Hemitaeniochromis urotaenia is a species of fish endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. It is the type species of the genus Hemitaeniochromis, and is part of family Cichlidae in subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae and the tribe Haplochromini.
The Malawi spinyeel is a species of fish in the family Mastacembelidae from Africa. It is endemic to the Lake Malawi basin, including the main lake itself, Lake Malombe and the lower Shire River. It is the only described species of spinyeel in Lake Malawi, but a brightly marked variant, Mastacembelus sp. "Rosette" is also known. It is unclear if it is a variant of the Malawi spinyeel or an undescribed species. The Malawi spinyeel reaches about 30 cm (12 in) in length, and likely feeds on invertebrates and small fish.
Melanochromis chipokae is a species of cichlid in the Cichlidae endemic to Lake Malawi where it is only known to occur at Chipoka. It lives in habitats characterized by patches of sand amongst rock. This piscivorous species can reach a length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in) SL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade, which is the main threat to this species and which has caused a 90% decline in the population. This has led to the IUCN assessing this species as Critically Endangered.
Melanochromis dialeptos is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi where it is only known from rocky habitats near Masinje. This species can grow to a length of 7.9 centimetres (3.1 in) SL.
Melanochromis heterochromis is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi. This species can grow to a length of 9.7 centimetres (3.8 in) SL.
Melanochromis robustus is a species of cichlid in the Cichlidae endemic to Lake Malawi. This species can reach a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) TL.
Melanochromis simulans is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi where it occurs in the Masinje Rocks and at Cape Ngombo. This species can reach a length of 7.4 centimetres (2.9 in) SL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The purple mbuna is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi. This species can reach a length of 7.4 centimetres (2.9 in) SL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Oreochromis karongae is a critically endangered species of cichlid that is endemic to Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe, and upper and middle Shire River in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. This species is important to local commercial fisheries, but has declined drastically due to overfishing.
Oreochromis squamipinnis is a critically endangered species of cichlid fish that is endemic to Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe and Shire River in East Africa, where found in a wide range of habitats, but especially in shallow water. This species is important to local commercial fisheries and can also be found in the aquarium trade, but it has declined drastically due to overfishing.
Hemitaeniochromis brachyrhynchus is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. Its specific epithet brachyrhynchus refers to the most distinctive characteristic of this species, the reduced length of the head in front of the eye. Prior to the formal description of this species in 2012, the specimen which became the paratype was provisionally called Hemitaeniochromis sp. 'insignis big eye' ; however, the species has no accepted common name.
