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Dorsal spines (total): 15-17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-10; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 7-8. Diagnosis: This species of Microchromis is characterized by a blue-white pattern with dark vertical bars on body, enhanced in dominant specimens, where these bars almost hide the underlying colour; bars sometimes slightly extending onto dorsal fin; similar to the Maylandia zebra species group, with which they share the same overall colouration; differs from these mainly by dentition: teeth on outer rows short and conical, regularly decreasing in size from symphysis to corner, vs. bicuspid in Maylandia (Ref. 88848). It differs from Microchromis zebroides by its heavily black pattern and melanic pattern not extending onto brow, which shows a brilliant blue to yellow hue, according to the locality; dorsal fin yellow, with black submarginal band and whitish marginal band (Ref. 88848).
Description: Small to medium sized mbuna; body compact, moderately deep; dorsal profile slightly rounded, ventral profile straight; dorsal fin high in both sexes, soft portion more pronounced in adult males than in females; caudal fin with two rounded lobes separated by a shallow notch; head rounded, slightly concave between eye and upper jaw, especially in big specimens; snout short, more prominent in adults, especially males; mouth slightly prognathous and upturned (Ref. 88848). Teeth: 2-3 rows of conical teeth in both jaws, curved inward and short in most outer row, decreasing in size from symphysis to corner of mouth; teeth of inner rows more sparse and smaller in size (Ref. 88848). Scales cycloid, 2-3 rows on cheek (Ref. 88848).
Colouration: Dominant males: main colouration of body brown-black to entirely black, with some shining remains of blue colouration between melanic marks; 8-9 vertical dark bars on sides of body, visible in neutral males too, with first immediately behind operculum and slightly sloping anteriorly, never joining its counterpart of the other side dorsally, due to the presence of an enlightened brow; six vertical bars under dorsal fin, with thickness decreasing posteriorly; body stripes not or only slightly extending onto dorsal fin; one black bar on head sloping anteriorly and irregularly interrupted on the brow; cephalic mask almost entirely black, with two interorbital yellow and blue bars; upper blue 'inter-bar' extending thinly behind the eye; posterior edge of opercle black with brilliant blue spot (Ref. 88848). Overall colouration of dorsal fin light blue at base, with a lemon-yellow band, lappets whitish; soft dorsal fin parts dark, speckled with ocelli-like yellow spots, smaller than anal fin ocelli; anal fin dark, with whitish edge; 3-6 yellow anal-fin ocelli well delimitated, usually extending from soft fin parts to third spine; pelvic fin black, especially for anterior part, except for a thin blue-white marginal stripe; caudal fin blue, with thin black stripes along rays and along upper and lower edges (Ref. 88848). Female colouration: overall colouration brown, melanic pattern brownish in dominant females; a greenish hue often present, especially on inter-orbital bars; yellow markings of dorsal and caudal fins and brow as in males; anal ocelli present as in males, but smaller (Ref. 88848). Melanic pattern strengthens with most dominant males, with some individual variations; intermediate males or dominant females with less visible stripes; in females, melanic pattern follows the same variation according to aggressiveness as in males, more visible in dominant females; subordinate males uniformly dark brown, subordinate females and juveniles without black marking and dark brown, but more pale than males (Ref. 88848). Despite the fact that dominant males appear dark with faint light vertical barring, the fish is to be considered as light with heavy dark barring, since these dark bars are homologous to those, thiner, of other zebra-like mbunas such as Microchromis zebroides (Ref. 88848). |
