Above: Otopharynx lithobates Oliver, 1989: Holotype male 86.5 mm SL, BMNH 1974.7.5:1, from north shore Thumbi Island West. Collected May 24, 1971 by Assan Mbaye. Compare the very similar O. walteri.

Below: A fully colored adult male O. lithobates photographed underwater at Monkey Bay, Malawi. The three spots are completely masked by the breeding coloration. From Plate 12i of Ribbink et al., 1983 (where it was called "Cyrtocara red dorsal"); reproduced by permission of the Zoological Society of Southern Africa. In the aquarium trade, this species has been sold under the misleading names "red top Aristochromis" and Aristochromis "lombardoi," although it is only distantly related to the only true Aristochromis species, Aristochromis christyi, an oblique-striped predator.

An extensive article by Scott Schwerdtfeger on breeding O. lithobates is available at Cichlid Room Companion. My videos documenting some spawning behavior are here.
 

Last Update: 1 June 2008 Web Author: M. K. Oliver, Ph.D. Copyright © 1997-2008 by M. K. Oliver - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED