LAKE MALAWI CICHLIDS.
Order Perciformes
Family Cichlidae
Subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae
Genus Serranochromis.
— Serranochromis robustus [Gunther, 1864]. (Eng. — Nembwe, Yellow Belly Bream). Lake Malawi and in the lower reaches of rivers flowing into the lake. Large fish 30-60 cm. Predators that feed mainly on other fish. Subspecies — Serranochromis robustus jallae.
Genus Stigmatochromis.
Endemics of Lake Malawi. It includes predatory species with a relatively elongated body shape, whose distinguishing characteristic is that the lower jaw is longer than the upper one. As a rule, the body pattern forms three large spots. Females mouthbrood their eggs.
— Stigmatochromis modestus [Gunther, 1894]. Synonym: Cyrtocara, Paratilapia modesta; Haplochromis, Hemichromis modestus. Lake Malawi, rocky biotopes. 25 cm. Currently, several geographical variants (races) of this species are known. These cichlids have a relatively large horizontally positioned mouth. The body of males ready for spawning is colored blue, and the anal and ventral fins have a red-burgundy coloration.
Females and inactive males are colored in shades ranging from dark red to brown, which serve as excellent camouflage in the shadow of a shelter — a cave or fissure. Piscivorous, ambush predators. Lead a very secretive lifestyle. Usually stay in caves (fissures), where they wait for potential prey. Keeping these cichlids together with small species is not recommended. Keep in a group — 1 male and 2-3 females.
— Stigmatochromis pholidophorus [Trewavas, 1935]. Synonym: Cyrtocara, Haplochromis pholidophorus. (Eng. — Candle Hap) Lake Malawi. 11 cm. Males are greenish-bluish, with three dark spots on the body and a row of smaller spots at the base of the dorsal fin. Females are silvery with three spots in the upper part of the body. Do not keep with overly active or aggressive species. Up to a size of about 6-8 cm, they can be kept in a group. Adult fish are incompatible with each other.
— Stigmatochromis pleurospilus [Trewavas, 1935]. Synonym: Cyrtocara, Haplochromis pleurospilus. Northwestern part of Lake Malawi. 20 cm, females are smaller. The body is silvery-gray, yellowish in the lower part, bluish in the upper, with 6-7 horizontal red spots running along the sides. The dorsal fin in males and females has a black horizontal stripe and a yellow border.
Females are lighter, with shapeless, fairly large spots on the flanks. This is a small predator that likes to swim. Very aggressive towards conspecifics and other males. Males do not tolerate each other. Young or small fish in the aquarium serve as food for them. In the aquarium, they feed on pellets and flakes, shrimp, and other small crustaceans.
Identification: Genus Stigmatochromis — Stigmatochromis.
Pseudotropheus flavus, heteropictus, saulosi, socolofi, williamsi. 
