''Haplochromis nubilus'', the blue Victoria mouthbrooder, is a 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 ...
found in the
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...
system in
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
. It inhabits shallow areas near shores. This species can reach a
standard length
Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.
Overall length
* Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...
of . It is
omnivorous and feeds on algae, small crustaceans, and insect larvae.
Description
Males are black during spawning with red anal and dorsal fins. Females have dull coloration consisting of brown and green shades. Dominant males become very aggressive and territorial when spawning. As with other cichlids, their life expectancy is around 10 years.
See also
*
List of freshwater aquarium fish species
A vast number of aquatic species have successfully adapted to live in the freshwater aquarium. This list gives some examples of the most common species found in home aquariums.
Catfish
Characins and other characiformes
...
References
Freshwater fish of Kenya
nubilus
Fish described in 1906
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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