''Cynotilapia afra'', the afra cichlid or dogtooth cichlid, is a small species of

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...

fish from Lake Malawi in East Africa, where found in rocky habitats. The genus name roughly translates as dogtooth cichlid (hence its common name) which describes the sharp, conical unicuspid teeth unique to this genus within the Lake Malawi species flock. This

mbuna Mbuna (pronounced Mmm-boo - nah ) 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.Loiselle ...

prefers a pH range of 7.5–8.5 and a temperature range of 23–27 °C. The afra cichlid has an elongate body with vertical blue and black bars. However, there are many different coloration patterns depending on the region the fish is from, for example, the male fish from Cobue (usually seen spelled either Kobwe or Cobwe) is shown in the adjacent picture. The population from Jalo Reef show no yellow in the body but have a solid yellow dorsal fin. Other populations have no yellow highlights at all. Males can grow up to 10 cm., females usually somewhat smaller. Like most other cichlids from Lake Malawi, ''afras'' are

mouthbrooders Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a va ...

. Males defend territories near caves within the rock piles and feed from algae and micro-fauna on those rocks. Females congregate in mid-water and feed from plankton. Other popular color variations are so named: Chewere, Chinuni, Chitande, Chuanga, Likoma, Lumbila, Lundu, Lupingu, Mbenji, Metangula, Minos Reef, Msobo, Ndumbi, Njambe, Nkhata Bay, and the Nkolongwe.

Aquarium care

Like many

, the ''afra'' is an aggressive and territorial fish that should be kept in a species-only or mixed mbuna tank. When mixing it is often better to avoid similar looking species. A common practice is to keep one male with several females, as ''afra'' are polygamous harem breeders. The tank arrangement should provide some open spaces but, have plenty of hiding spots and shelters.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q138370

afra Saint Afra (died 304) was martyred during the Diocletian persecution. Along with Saint Ulrich, she is a patron saint of Augsburg. Her feast day is August 7. Afra was dedicated to the service of the goddess, Venus, by her mother, Hilaria. Throu ...

Taxa named by Albert Günther Fish described in 1894

Aquarium care

See also

References