AFRICAN CICHLIDS.
Order Perciformes
Family Cichlidae
Subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae
Genus Pundamilia.
— Pundamilia azurea [Seehausen & Lippitsch, 1998] — Pundamilia azurea. Lake Victoria. 9 cm. Males are dark blue with diverse stripes. The caudal fin is red or sometimes pink. Anal and pelvic fins are black. The anal fin features 2-3 yellow spots. Females are brown with darker vertical stripes. Adult males defend their territory.
— Pundamilia igneopinnis [Seehausen & Lippitsch, 1998] — Pundamilia igneopinnis. Lake Victoria. 10 cm. Dominant males are dark blue (almost black); anal, caudal, and dorsal fins are bright yellow or orange. They have an orange throat. A group of these fish can be kept in a community aquarium with a sandy substrate, flat rocks, caves, and driftwood as shelters.
— Pundamilia macrocephala [Seehausen & Lippitsch, 1998] — Pundamilia macrocephala. Africa. 20 cm. With light pink fins, several black spots around the lower lip and belly, and one black spot on the upper edge of the gill cover. The caudal fin has a red edge. The dominant male is blue-black with bright yellow-orange fins. There may be an orange spot on the throat.
The anal fin is dark red with 2-3 orange or yellow spots. The pelvic fins are black. Females are dark gray with vertical stripes; the dorsal fin has a slight bluish tint. Females can be distinguished from males by a pink spot on each gill cover. These fish need a large aquarium. The aquarium should be equipped with numerous shelters and crevices to reduce aggressiveness.
— Pundamilia nyererei [Witte-Maas & Witte, 1985] — Nyerere’s Victoria Cichlid. Synonym: Haplochromis, Astatotilapia nyererei. (English: Crimson Tide Flameback, Nyerere’s Victoria Cichlid). Lake Victoria in Mwanza Gulf, inhabits relatively shallow water along rocky shorelines and rocky areas around islands. Males 6-10 cm, females 4-7 cm. It should be noted that there are many geographical variations of this species, and male coloration varies somewhat depending on the locality. It possesses a very wide range of colors — from smooth orange-scarlet to moire-black.
The typical coloration of males is a color contrast between the upper and lower body. The flanks generally feature 8-9 black vertical stripes on a yellow background. The forehead has a dark reticulation, the snout is crimson, and the fins have carmine borders. The upper part of the body from the head to the caudal fin, including the dorsal fin, is colored rust-red. The anal fin is black with characteristic yellowish-ochre ocelli (egg spots). Pelvic fins are black.
The main body coloration of females ranges from beige-yellow to reddish-brown with 8-9 dark brown vertical stripes. Fins are translucent with a slight bluish tinge in the dorsal fin. The caudal and anal fins are pale yellow with black. Males have egg-shaped spots on the anal fin. Males are larger and much more intensely colored than females.
Color morphs: — P. nyererei “Anchor Island” — Lower part of the head is black with a light throat, upper part is red. A black line runs between the eyes. Lips are blue-green. Seven black vertical stripes adorn the body, the belly area is black. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are red; — P. nyererei “Igombe Island” — The upper part of the head transitions into an orange back. A bright blue stripe runs along the upper lip. A black stripe extends from the lower jaw to the upper part of the eye, a thin black stripe curves on the forehead between the eyes. The body has 7 broad black stripes that do not reach the back and belly, with yellow-green stripes between them. The lower body is black. The caudal peduncle is dark, almost black. The dorsal fin is orange, blue at the rear. The anal fin is bright blue with 3-5 egg spots. Pelvic fins are black. The caudal fin is straight at the end, semi-transparent tinted with blue and red;
— P. nyererei “Lunaso Island” — Main head color is steel gray with a bluish tint. A black patch extends from the throat and covers the gill plates. Three black lines pass across the forehead, right above the lips, between the eyes; a thick black vertical stripe extends from the corners of the mouth, through the eyes to the upper forehead. Lips are light blue. The lower body area is black, the upper is red. Seven vertical black stripes run from the belly, with yellow stripes between them. The caudal peduncle is yellow above and black below. The dorsal fin is bright blue. The caudal fin is black at the base and then becomes bright red. The anal fin is blue with red spots along the rays, the first two rays are black. Pelvic fins are black; — P. nyererei “Makobe Island” — Lips framed in bright blue. A thin black stripe runs between the eyes, a black stripe runs from the lower jaw through the eyes. Upper head and back are red. Five irregular wide black stripes run across the body starting from the belly covering 2/3 of the body, with bright yellow stripes between them. The rear part of the body from the start of the anal fin to the caudal fin is predominantly black. The dorsal fin is red, the last 5 spines are blue. The caudal fin is red with a blue tinge in the middle rays. The anal fin is blue with an orange tint contained in the first 3 rays with 3-7 egg spots. Pelvic fins are long and black;
— P. nyererei “Python Island” — The body has 4 vertical elongated black spots, with yellow stripes between them. The back is orange along its entire length, the lower belly is black. A curved dark line runs from the lower jaw, through the eye and across the forehead, a black stripe passes between the eyes. The dorsal fin is blue, almost white. The anal fin is bright blue near the body, the rest is orange with egg spots. Pelvic fins are black. The caudal fin is 2/3 blue and 1/3 red; — P. nyererei “Ruti Island” — The forehead is orange, the lower head is black. A thick black stripe runs between the eyes. Lips are blue. The entire lower underside of the body is black. Seven black stripes are superimposed on a bright yellow body that extends onto the dorsal fin. The front area of the dorsal fin is bright yellow, the rear part is almost colorless. The anal fin is yellow, darker at the front and red at the rear, with 3-6 egg spots. The caudal fin is initially black and transitions to reddish;
Males are extremely aggressive towards their own and other species, and fights between males can be fatal. The dominant male controls almost the entire aquarium with any neighbors, even those superior in size and build. Create numerous caves and shelters of different “storeys” in the aquarium using piles of rocks. The background should be densely planted with vegetation, and buffer fish (Astatotilapia burtoni, Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi, etc.) should be introduced to defuse tension.
This species does not require much open swimming space, preferring a rocky environment. Substrate of sand. Despite numerous caves and crevices, females will very rarely leave them. In a cramped tank without shelters, a hyperactive dominant male can kill up to 10 females a day. Therefore, the minimum aquarium volume should be 150 liters for a group.
Keep no more than one male with several females. Spawners are introduced only when the female shows an ovipositor. In the aquarium, they accept most offered foods, but live and frozen foods should form the basis of the diet, along with vegetable matter. They become sexually mature at 6 months. The female incubates eggs in her mouth. They live up to 6 years. T 23-27°C; pH 7.2-8.6; dH 8-20°.
Identification: Nyerere’s Victoria Cichlid — Pundamilia nyererei.
— Pundamilia pundamilia [Seehausen & Bouton, 1998] — Pundamilia pundamilia. (English: Hippo Point Blue Bar). Lake Victoria. 12-17 cm. The male varies greatly in coloration depending on mood. Body coloration is generally gray with 4-8 black vertical stripes. Females have similar stripes. The dorsal fin exhibits a bright blue color with a red margin. The caudal fin is reddish. The anal fin ranges from red to orange with ocelli spots.
Color morphs: — P. pundamilia “Makobe” — The male’s body is silvery-gray to gray-brown. The belly is black. Black transverse stripes, partially broken, run across the body. The dorsal fin is silvery or light blue. The soft rays of the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are bright red. Females range from light beige to brown with stripes like the males; — P. pundamilia “Python Island” — The male’s body is silvery-gray, the lower belly is black. Several vertical black stripes run along the body. The dorsal fin is light blue with red-orange tips. Anal and caudal fins are orange; — P. pundamilia “Senga Point” — The male’s forehead and back are silvery-gray. The line down to the belly is dark gray-blue. The body features dark vertical stripes. The dorsal fin is shiny blue-gray, the anal fin is red, and the pelvic fins are black.
Aggressive towards their own and other fish. Large rounded river rocks on a fine-grained gravel substrate.
Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor, nicholsi, philander.
Paralabidochromis chilotes, chromogynos, sp. Rock Kribensis. 
