A male of a Melanochromis species of the intermediate zone, identified as M. cf. chipokae; photographed underwater at Thumbi Island West, Malawi. (The female of Melanochromis chipokae actually has much more distinctive, yellow and black, coloration than the male; see the excellent photo of a female by Roger Håggstrøm at Cichlid Room Companion.)
Ribbink et al. (1983)
stated that the entity in the above photo closely resembles
the species described as M. chipokae from Chipoka Rocks,
and may well be identical. They examined the stomachs of seven
individuals and reported that all seven had eaten filamentous algae
and benthic invertebrates, five had also eaten cichlid fry, and
three contained zooplankton. Although it is one of the group of
Melanochromis species that have long, pointed heads and is
a fry predator, like M. melanopterus,
M. chipokae is clearly something of an opportunistic feeder.
Photo from Plate 9i of
Ribbink et al., 1983; reproduced by
permission of the
Zoological Society of Southern Africa.
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