Cynotilapia afra

Afra cichlid
Afra cichlid, Kobwe variation
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Cichlidae
Subfamily:	Pseudocrenilabrinae
Genus:	Cynotilapia
Binomial name
Cynotilapia afra (Günther, 1894)

Cynotilapia afra, is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family. The genus name roughly translates as dogtooth cichlid which describes the sharp, conical unicuspid teeth unique to this genus within the Lake Malawi flock. The species afra is endemic to Lake Malawi and is found in rocky habitats throughout the lake. It prefers a pH range of 7.5–8.5 and a temperature range of 23–27°C.

The afra 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 Kobwe (usually seen spelled either Cobue or Cobwe) is shown in the picture to the right. 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. 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.

Aquarium Care

Like many mbuna, 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 nonmonagamous harem breeders. Tanks of 150L or more should be considered. The tank arrangement should provide some open spaces but, have plenty of hiding spots and shelters.

See also

• Mbuna
• List of freshwater aquarium fish species

References

• Cynotilapia afra on FishBase.
• "Cynotilapia afra". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=649087. Retrieved December 5, 2006. 
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). Cynotilapia afra in FishBase. December 2006 version.