ID Please

[rotorhead22]

What are these Mbuna? The males have the blue and black markings and the females are the lighter colored ones with yellow at the tips of the fins. The tank at the lfs was marked Msobo which doesn't make sense because Msobo females are supposed to be yellow/orange.





Male and Juvenile Female




Male and Juvenile Female




Male




Juvenile Female


Juvenile males are blue and black.

 

[kay-bee19]

The specimens listed as 'male' seem to fall within the margin of msobo variation.

However, you are quite correct in that female msobo's are yellowish-orange. The specimens listed as 'female' are definitely not msobo's and are likely some sort of melanochromis or of melanochromis extract. They do not even resemble transitioning sub-adult male msobo's.

The LFS either consolidated two different types of fish (male msobo's and some sort of melanchromis) into the same tank and labeled them all as "msobo" OR both male and females are of the same type (and are likely hybrids) and can all be ruled out as msobo's.

Some of my msobo's for comparison:

Female msobo:

Transitioning male msobo:

Fully transitioned male msobo:

 

[HUKIT]

The LFS either consolidated two different types of fish (male msobo's and some sort of melanchromis) into the same tank and labeled them all as "msobo" OR both male and females are of the same type (and are likely hybrids) and can all be ruled out as msobo's.]

I agree with kay-bee that they are likely hybrids, and certainly are not msobo. Could be a mix of msobo and Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos.

 

[phin]

Originally Posted by kay-bee19
The LFS either consolidated two different types of fish (male msobo's and some sort of melanchromis) into the same tank and labeled them all as "msobo" OR both male and females are of the same type (and are likely hybrids) and can all be ruled out as msobo's.

I agree with kay-bee that they are likely hybrids, and certainly are not msobo. Could be a mix of msobo and Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos.

I also agree that the "juvinile female" looks like some type of Melanochromis or Melanochromis hybrid.

I'm not convinced that the blue/black is a msobo male. The vertical barring is quite distinct - like a female kenyii or male saulosi. In fact, I have a few male saulosi that look almost identical to that one. same blue hue, same vertical bars, dark/black towards the bottom and on the fins. If you got it out of a "various african cichlids" tank than most likely it is a hybrid. could be a msobo hybrid. Upon a second look, the white tips on the dorsal lead me to think it is a hybrid. Perhaps a psuedotropheus or labridochromis hybrid.

 

[rotorhead22]

These were all from the same tank that said Msobo.