Maylandia zebra (Boulenger, 1899)

Zebra mbuna

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Perciformes \| Cichlidae \| Pseudocrenilabrinae
Synonyms	Tilapia zebra, Metriaclima zebra, Pseudotropheus zebra, ... more
Common names	Malawi-zebra, 斑马拟丽鱼, Seepramalawinahven, ... more

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Main reference

Stauffer, J.R. Jr., N.J. Bowers, K.A. Kellogg and K.R. McKaye. 1997. (Ref. 27596)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Kullander, Sven O. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 11.3 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5684)

Environment

Demersal; freshwater; pH range: 8.0 - 8.0; dH range: 9 - 19; depth range 6 - 28 m

Climate / Range

Tropical; 22°C - 28°C (Ref. 1672); 8°S - 15°S

Africa: Endemic to Lake Malawi. Occurs on the northwestern coast between Cape Manulo and Kande Islands. Also found on Jalo Reef, at Namalenje Islands, Cape Maclear, Monkey Bay, Boadzulu Islands and Nkopola. On the eastern part, occurs at Fort Maguire, Masinje on Likoma and Chisumulu Islands (Ref. 5595).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 16 - 19; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 10; Anal spines: 3 - 4; Anal soft rays: 6 - 9. Diagnosis: head moderately sloped; rostral tip of the neurocranium swollen; jaws isognathus; outer rows of the jaws with bicuspid teeth; absence of any interrupted pigment in the pale blue dorsal fin in combination with black bars on a blue ground; gill rakers on first ceratobranchial 8-14; gill rakers on first epibranchial 1-3 (Ref. 27596). Females with gray/blue to blue/brown ground color and no yellow pigment in unpaired fins, ocelli in anal fin present (Ref. 76849). Description: 0-3 pored scales post lateral line; 4-6 scale rows on cheek; 3-4 teeth rows on upper jaw, 3-4 on lower (Ref. 76849). Coloration: breeding males at Maleri Island: head light-blue; cheek gray/blue with yellow highlights; ventral border of cheek yellow; gular region blue/white; body bright blue with 5-7 faint gray/black bars anterior to caudal peduncle; caudal peduncle blue/gray; belly and breast gray/blue; dorsal fin pale blue; caudal fin with pale gray rays, membranes blue with trailing yellow/orange edge; anal fin blue/gray, with 1-5 orange/yellow ocelli; pelvic fin with white leading margin, membranes black anteriorly, clear posteriorly; pectoral fin with gray rays and clear membranes (Ref. 76849). Breeding males at Namalenje Island: head black with 2 light-blue interorbital bands; gular region blue/black; body light-blue with 6-8 black bars anterior to caudal peduncle; caudal peduncle dark blue/gray; belly and breast blue/black; dorsal fin pale blue; caudal fin with gray rays, membranes blue with narrow yellow/orange edge; anal fin blue/gray, with 1-5 orange/yellow ocelli, sometimes vertical bar extending onto membranes between first 3 spines; pelvic fin black with white leading margin; pectoral fin with gray rays and clear membranes (ref. 76849). Females at Maleri Island: head light brown with gray gular region; body light brown/gray; dorsal, caudal, and anal fins light brown/gray; small yellow spots on trailing edge of anal fin; pelvic fin black with white leading margin; pectoral fin with gray rays and clear membranes (Ref. 76849). Females at Namalenje Island: head dark brown/black with brown gular region; body dark brown/black with bright-blue highlights; dorsal, caudal and anal fins dark brown/black; small yellow spots on trailing edge of anal fin; pelvic fin black with white leading margin; pectoral fin with brown rays and clear membranes (Ref. 76849).

Found in rocky areas which may be sediment-free and shallow or sediment-rich at somewhat deeper levels. Feeds at right angles with the substrate by combing loose material from the biocover. Also feeds on plankton in the open water (Ref. 5595).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Least Concern (LC)	Harmless

Human uses
Aquarium: highly commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment Abundance	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)

PD₅₀ = 0.5000

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low vulnerability (15 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Sa-a, Pascualita

Modified by Froese, Rainer

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