Description of a rock-dwelling cichlid that re-invaded the sand substrate in Lake Malai, Africa.

Pseudotropheus Regan had been a catch-all genus for many of the rock-dwelling cichlids of Lake Malai, known as mbuna, for over half a century. Although many of the species previously assigned to this genus have since been allocated to other genera there are still about a dozen species in the genus that do not appear to be closely related to its type species, P. williamsi, but for which no better placement could be found. Pseudotropheus livingstonii (Boulenger) is one such species and the new species described herein appears to be closely related and has for that reason been temporarily assigned to Pseudotropheus. Pseudotropheus likomae n. sp. from Likoma Island can be diagnosed from all other Pseudotropheus spp., by having five or fewer distinct vertical bars below the dorsal fin and two horizontal stripes in mature individuals.

Descriptions of two new shell-dwelling species of Metriaclima (Cichlidae) from Lake Malai, Africa.

Metriaclima is the most speciose genus of rock-dwelling fishes (mbuna) found in Lake Malai with 32 described species and with about 40 recognized forms that still await formal description. The genus is comprised of many geographically narrow populations restricted to specific habitat landmarks, such as reefs or islands. A few species have taken to the open sandy habitat where empty gastropod shells provide shelter. Two species of such shell-dwellers are here described as new. A combination of a black submarginal band in the dorsal and anal fins and five or fewer bars on the flank distinguishes Metriaclima ngarae sp. n. and M. gallireyae sp. n. from all other species of Metriaclima. Metriaclima ngarae sp. n. differs from M. gallireyae by a greater interorbital width and by a greater ratio of the snout length in the distance between snout tip and pelvic fin origin. Adult males of M. gallireyae have a blue-brown overall coloration obscuring the bar pattern on the flank while males of M. ngarae and those of the closely related M. lanisticola retain the bar pattern and have a coloration very similar to that of females.