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

The afra cichlid, Cynotilapia afra, is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family. It is also known as dogtooth cichlid. This fish is endemic to the central and northern parts of Lake Malawi and is found in rocky habitats. It prefers a pH range of 8.0–8.5 and a temperature range of 23–27°C. Image File history File links C_afra. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Families many, see text The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, include about 40% of all fish and are the largest order of vertebrates. ... Genera Apistogramma - Dwarf Cichlids Astronotus (Oscars) Boulengerochromis Cichlasoma - American Ciclids Crenicichla Pterophyllum - Freshwater Angelfish Symphysodon - Discus Teleogramma Tilapia Cichlids are a family of perciform fishes. ... Cynotilapia is a genus of fishes from the family Cichlidae. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... Genera Apistogramma - Dwarf Cichlids Astronotus (Oscars) Boulengerochromis Cichlasoma - American Ciclids Crenicichla Pterophyllum - Freshwater Angelfish Symphysodon - Discus Teleogramma Tilapia Cichlids are a family of perciform fishes. ... Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, or Lake Niassa after the Yao word for lake (officially called Niassa in Mozambique), is the most southerly lake in the Great African Rift Valley system. ... The correct title of this article is . ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ...

The afra cichlid has an elongate body typically with vertical blue and black bars. However, there are many different colorations depending on the region the fish is from, for example, the male fish from Kobwe have greenish stripes on blue-black body. They can grow up to 10 cm. Like many other cichlid from Lake Malawi, afra cichlids are mouthbrooders. Males defend boulders as their territories and feed from algae on those boulders. Females congregate in mid-water and feed from plankton. Mouthbrooders are several species of fish that chactisticly care for their ofspring, either eggs or juveniles, by holding them for extended periods of time in the mouth of one or both parents. ...

Aquarium Care

Like many mbuna cichlids, this is a notoriously aggressive fish that should be kept in a species or mbuna tank. The best practice is to keep one male with several females. They should be provided with large spaces with plenty of hiding shelters. Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos displaying behaviour typical of Mbuna. ...

See also

• Mbuna
• List of freshwater aquarium fish species

Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos displaying behaviour typical of Mbuna. ... A vast number of species of fish have been successfully kept in the home aquarium. ...

References

• Cynotilapia afra (TSN 649087). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on December 5, 2006.
• "Cynotilapia afra". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. December 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.