Utaka

Copadichromis azureus, one of the utaka of Lake Malawi, Africa

Utaka is the term used for open water-dwelling cichlids found in Lake Malawi, the most diverse source of cichlids in the world of amateur aquaria.[1] They comprise all the members of the genera Copadichromis and Mchenga.

They are the opposite niche from the mbuna, the more common type of Malawi cichlid that dwells among rocks along the lake's fringes and bottom.

Unlike mbuna, which are generally colorful from birth, utaka tend to be very neutral in color -- mostly greys -- until they reach adulthood, because their free-swimming nature leaves them more vulnerable to predation. They are highly sexually dimorphic; the females of the genre tend to remain bland in coloration, while the males often become spectacularly colorful, leading to common names like "peacock cichlid."

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, October 28, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.