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Lake Tanganyika 

Collectors from Zambia and Tanzania have spent most of their time catching along the southern Congo coast. The primary targets being collected are the blue varieties of Cyphotilapia frontosa found there. The market for these fishes sent out of Zambia and Tanzania is the Far East, where these blue C. frontosa are still highly prized. Other Tanganyikan fishes are also being shipped elsewhere. The most popular items in the USA are goby cichlids, shell dwellers, and wild Tropheus.
 

Reportedly from Moba, Congo, and exported from Zambia, Eretmodus sp. Moba has arrived recently. This goby cichlid displays small blue spots along the forehead and back and faded yellow bars on its sides. This color pattern is somewhat intermediate between the Eretmodus populations found in the extreme southeast and central Tanzanian coasts.	Exported only occasionally, but usually not in a smaller size, the notorious scale-eater Plecodus straeleni has arrived from Burundi. Because it is likely difficult to collect this two-inch scale-eater in quantity from the lake, perhaps these arrivals were actually bred on site in Burundi before shipping!
Collected in Zambia and recently exported, Lamprologus brevis is also found elsewhere in the lake. This form displays bright iridescent thin blue bars and an orange-red dot above and behind the eye. This colorful southern form is not often seen.	Another recent rarity exported from Burundi is Limnochromis staneri. Sporting long ventral fin filaments, this beautiful Limnochromis reportedly grows larger than other species in the genus.

Lake Malawi

General demand for wild-caught Malawi cichlids in the United States has improved little since my last report. However, sales of these fishes are, as always, good in Europe and other areas. Small bred items from various production areas have reasonably good sales. Hobbyists are looking for the more economical juveniles from the usual favorite varieties and also the harder to find species, especially predatory haplochromines. 

Collected and shipped rarely from Tanzania, Aulonocara brevinidus is generally found over sandy areas. Currently this species is kept and bred in Europe. Photo by F. Callegari.	One of the Malawi sand-shifting species is Taeniolethrinops furcicauda which is often collected seasonally in the lake. This large fish is a favorite of Lethrinops fans and requires large quarters. Photo by F. Callegari.
Occasionally shipped from Malawi over the years as Haplochromis Newsi, this fish is actually Otopharnyx selenurus. This interesting fish is found over sand and is a follower species dependent on larger sand-shifting cichlid species to feed. Photo by F. Callegari.	An unknown species currently bred in Europe, Lethrinops sp. ‘yellow cap’ is similar to other species found in various places in the lake. This fish is one of many Lethrinops that has gained popularity due to coloration and small adult size. Photo by F. Callegari.
This form of Metriaclima sp. ‘zebra chilumba’ collected from Maison Reef, Malawi, is a jumbo-sized mbuna. Striking individuals like this make it easy to see why this fish is a popular item. Photo by F. Callegari.	The albino form of Pseudotropheus sp. ‘elongatus ornatus’ was developed and bred on a fish farm in Florida. This fish is also known in the US hobby as Likoma Elongatus. It is one of the many albino Malawi cichlid species developed by breeders.

Lake Victoria

There is a bit of good news for Victorian cichlid fans in the USA. Specialty breeders in Europe and elsewhere have several species not usually commercially bred in America. Some of these infrequent species were imported recently and distributed to US hobbyists. Hopefully more of these captive-raised species will arrive again soon.
 

Originally established from Mwanza, Tanzanian populations, Yssichromis piceatus is still maintained in Europe by some dedicated hobbyists. Good thing too, as the strain has disappeared from US breeders some time ago! Dominant males of this elongated fish turn black with red fins.

Another seldom seen fish from Tanzania is Lithochromis xanthopteryx Makombe. Adult males of this fish turn black with orange unpaired fins. This fish is rarely seen by US hobbyists.

Neotropics

Increased imports of South American cichlids, and thus popularity, are due to the increased interest in any and all of the several dozens of fancy armored L-numbered catfish species. Reports of successful spawning of different species of these fancy “pleco” catfish have fueled buying over recent years. They are now popular imports from Brazil, Columbia, and elsewhere.

This colorful species, Geophagus brokopondo, has been imported commercially for the first time recently from Surinam. Photo by O. Lucanus.	This rare dwarf cichlid, Nannacara adoketa, from the upper Rio Negro river is exported occasionally from Brazil. Hopefully this attractive fish will stay in the hobby! Photo by O. Lucanus.
Apistogramma sp. “Yawasyacu” from Peru is yet another new species in the A. barlowi group. It will be some time before we know just how many species of such dwarf cichlids occur in Peru. Photo by O. Lucanus.	This beautiful new Apistogramma variety is collected and exported from the border area between Peru and Brazil.  Perhaps this will be a new species to describe. Photo by O. Lucanus.