Diplotaxodon macrops Turner & Stauffer, 1998
photo by Turner, G.F.

Family:  Cichlidae (Cichlids), subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Max. size:  12.5 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater; depth range 76 - 128 m
Distribution:  Africa: Lake Malawi.
Diagnosis:  Diagnosis: relatively large eyes; ripe males black with white margin to dorsal fin; dorsal fin base rather long (Ref. 55949). Description: deep-bodied; large eyes; premaxillary pedicel strongly prominent; mental process absent or very slight; lower jaw protrudes slightly or not at all (Ref. 55949). Coloration: females and non-breeding males silvery and countershaded; male breeding dress black with a coppery iridescence, broad white margin to the dorsal fin and up to 2 pale yellow eggspots on anal fin (Ref. 55949).
Biology:  Abundant near the bottom over shelf habitats (Ref. 55949). Apparently a plankton feeder that preys on insect larvae, crustaceans, and diatoms (Ref. 30390).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 22 June 2018 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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