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Lake Tanganyika 

Over the past several months, oversupplies of wild caught Tanganyika cichlids have lead to some market changes. General low demand in Europe has been more evident than ever. Local collectors and marginal exporters from Tanganyika may thus have less than normal sales for the year. Some of these marginal exporters will eventually close down, bringing back stable supplies and inventories. Popular items seem to be some of the goby cichlids and Tropheus species.
 

Reportedly from an area near Chimba, Zambia, Tropheus moorii Chiwena is a new arrival with strong red hues.	Formerly known from only preserved specimens, live individuals of Xenotilapia caudafasciata have recently arrived in Europe! Photo by C. Saariste-Verduijn.
Another rarity exported from Burundi recently, Xenotilapia longipinnis has also been available in very low numbers. Photo by T. Andersen.	Some cichlids are still very infrequently exported and only a few individuals at one time. With its long finnage and neon highlights, Neolamprologus ventralis from Burundi is such a fish.

Lake Malawi

Supplies of wild-caught and bred items are available in good numbers. Some of the seasonal cichlids have been exported over the last two months, such as some Lethrinops, Nyassachromis, Otopharnyx, and Copadichromis species. Small-sized wild mbuna seem to be in demand as well as colored haplochromines. The bright color of many Malawi cichlids has historically been a driving factor in the interest in these fishes. It is especially true today.  
 

Collected seasonally around Liuli, Tanzania, Otopharnyx decorus is a blue fish with yellow throat coloration. Territorial males display a greenish face with vertical barring.	Occasionally exported from time to time, Stigmatochromis woodii is slow to develop full coloration, but usually does so during breeding. Photo by A. Konings.
Seasonally migrating inshore near Undu Point, Copadichromis sp. “mloto undu” sports a cream white forehead and has been imported recently. This fish is not the same as the C. trewavasae “ivoryhead” found elsewhere.	From Lundo Island, Copadichromis sp. “kawanga” usually displays strong colors, with a striking blue head, greenish cheeks, and orange body markings. It is also sold as C. “blueface” and is a small-sized haplochromine.
With a blue nose and a yellowish nape, Lethrinops sp. “Mbawa” from Tanzania is likely to be L. sp. “nyassae.” This small cichlid typically displays strong colors in the aquarium.	Another seasonal candidate from southern Tanzania is Copadichromis sp “azureus midnight,” a husky fish with navy blue body coloration and a darker head. This fish is not the same as C. sp. “mloto undu.”

West Africa

The rainy season has begun by June in most of the West African countries making collecting more difficult for many species. Thus the available inventory items will be reduced compared to the previous months’ stocks. An increase in fuel charges for air cargo items charged by airlines has also affected prices on the species from the Kinshasa area of Congo. Many of these collected species will be more expensive from now on.
 

This red-eyed Steatocranus species is an interesting small buffalo head cichlid. It is occasionally imported from Kinshasa, Congo along with the usual Steatocranus species. Photo by O. Lucanus.

Tilapia busumana is a small species from Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana. While quite aggressive, their small size makes them manageable in aquarium conditions. Photo by O. Lucanus.

Neotropics

The rainy season is ending in most South American countries and thus fish collecting will begin again and continue through December. Many of the hard-to-get cichlids will appear near the end of the year due to the receding waters. In the meantime, there are still plenty of captive-bred neotropical cichlids, both common and the exclusive. Take your pick! 
 

Caquetaia kraussi is widespread across Venezuela and northern Columbia, but imported infrequently. Like all Caquetaia species, it is a large piscivore. Photo by O. Lucanus.	Originally from the Nanay River, Peru, this Apistogramma martini male sports delicate blue highlights. They are one the many species from the A. nijsseni group. Photo by U. Römer.
A few albino fry appeared in F1 spawns of Thorichthys sp. “blue Mixteco,” originally from Tehuantepec in Mexico. Now the strain breeds true, producing more albino fry. Photo by J. Rapps.	Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus collected from Convento, Uruguay is the true G. rhabdotus with blue streaks on its soft fin rays. It is often called G. meridionalis, which has blue spots in the soft fin rays and comes from nearby areas. Photo by J. Rapps.