Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Microchromis: Greek, mikros = small + see under Chromis.
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical, preferred ?; 11°S - 13°S
Africa: endemic to Lake Malawi, from Likoma Island (Ref. 5664).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 8.6 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5664)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Diagnosis: This species of Microchromis is characterized by a blue pattern with dark vertical bars on body, enhanced in dominant specimens, and usually extending onto dorsal fin; they are similar to Maylandia zebra and other species in that complex, but it differs from them mainly by dentition: teeth on outer rows short and conical, regularly decreasing in size from symphysis to corner (vs. bicuspid in Maylandia) (Ref. 88848). It differs from Microchromis aurifrons by its less heavily black pattern and vertical stripes on head, joining on brow (Ref. 88848).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Maréchal, C., 1991. Microchromis. p. 266. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, G.G. Teugels and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 4. (Ref. 5664)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 109396)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.7500 [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), based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.4 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
69278): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100) .