Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap'

Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap' "Mvuna Island"

Mvuna Island — m-VOO-nah EYE-land (approx.)

The fish

How this cichlid is built, and everything about how it lives, eats and breeds, is shared with the species — this page doesn't repeat it.

Read the full Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap' account →

Specific to Mvuna Island

  • Collection locality & coordinates
  • Local coloration — best judged from the living-fish photo
  • Kept as a single-provenance line, never crossed with other collection points

Care facts below are the species' — shared with Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap'.

IUCNNOT EVALUATED
NEnot on the EX–LC scale
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size6 in15 cm standard length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH8.6–9.3alkaline
Depth7–33 ft2–10 m
DietGrazer-micropredator: aufwuchs (algae, diatoms, micro-invertebrates) on rock plus suspended zooplankton; trophic level ~2.2
BreedingMaternal mouthbrooder; lek/bower-building (males construct sand craters and display)small, ~15–40 eggs for featherfins (Konings); O. ventralis typically at the low end, often under 16
Sexual dimorphismYesStrong. Mature males develop greatly elongated pelvic (ventral) fins tipped with swollen, brightly coloured egg-dummy pads (yellow/orange/white) and switch on intense metallic blue when displaying; females and non-displaying males are plain greenish-silver. Males colour up only near adult size (~8–9 months).
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Mvuna Island population

Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap' "Mvuna Island" is the Mvuna Island population of Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap', a geographic colour form from the Tanzania coast of Lake Tanganyika in the north-central part of the lake. It is the same species as Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap', distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Mvuna Island fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap' is an undescribed featherfin cichlid of Lake Tanganyika — a distinctive geographic colour form (or complex of forms) recognized and traded by aquarists and documented in the biotope literature, but not yet formally described. Like the lake's other locality forms, it is kept and bred by collection point, and its value to hobbyists lies precisely in that documented provenance.

Full Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap' account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Ophthalmotilapia sp. 'whitecap' Mvuna Island
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Ophthalmotilapia ventralis (Boulenger 1898)
  3. FishBase: Ophthalmotilapia ventralis summary
  4. FishBase Field Guide: Ophthalmotilapia ventralis
  5. iNaturalist taxon: Ophthalmotilapia ventralis (Featherfin)
  6. Konings, A. (1992) Cichlids Yearbook vol. 2 — geographical races of Ophthalmotilapia ventralis, southern Lake Tanganyika (Cichlid Press)
  7. Konings, A. — Enjoying Cichlids, 2nd ed. — featherfin nest-building, clutch size (15–40) and burnt-out males (Cichlid Press)