# malawi shell dweller question



## iamnotjackjohnson (Aug 4, 2004)

I'm mostly a Tanganyikan keeper, so I'm hoping that some of you Malawi specialists can help me out.

Are "Pseudotropheus livingstonii" and "Pseudotropheus lanisticola" the same fish?

Is it even "Pseudotropheus lanisticola", or is it "Metriaclima lanisticola"?

The internet isn't really helping me narrow this down... I'm confused. :-?


----------



## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

Metriaclima livingstonii is the shelldweller, but I believe all the names you listed are for the same fish.


----------



## iamnotjackjohnson (Aug 4, 2004)

Wow, only one person knows about these fish? They must not be very popular.

I appreciate the reply Dave, are you positive, or is that an educated guess?

The reason that I want to make sure is that I bought 4 fish at an auction that were labeled "Pseudotropheus lanisticola", and then I traded someone for 8 more fish that look exactly the same, but he said that they were Pseud. Livinstonii...

I don't want to mix them together if they are in fact different fish, but I do if they are the same.

I've read on the internet that one gets larger than the other, that they are the same fish, and that they are different fish, so I don't know what to believe right now.


----------



## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

I have found repeated references that one = the other. If someone has Ad's Malawi 4th edition that might help. I do not know for fact that all four names P./M. livingstonii and P./M. lanisticola are the same, but I find indications that they are. Maybe Fogelhund can be of assistance here.

This is not a very common fish in the hobby, which is likely why you aren't getting much feedback.

Here is one example that refers to them as the same fish: http://www.webcityof.com/miff1077.htm


> Pseudotropheus lanisticola ? See Pseudotropheus livingstonii


And just to make things more confusing, look at this:
http://malawicichlids.com/mw09007t.htm


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think the 4th edition says they are different. The section is a little long, I'll try to type it here, wait for the edit.



> Pseudotropheus livingstonii is a true sand-dwelling cichlid.
> 
> Jay Stauffer (pers. comm.) has recently examined the type material of this species, previously thought to be a Metriaclima, and discovered that another taxon, P. elegans, is in fact a junior synonym of P.livingstonii, a name which it now also turns out has been incorrectly used for decades by aquarists and scientists alike, for Metriaclima lanisticola, a look-alike species that lives in and around empty shells (see below). I in turn have found that on both morphological and behavioral grounds P. livingstonii does not belong to Metriaclima at all and is better re-assigned to Pseudotropheus. The species occasionally seen in the aquarium hobby as P. elegans is thus the true P. livingstonii, and the hobby livingstonii is correctly M. lanisticola.


There is another page on the differences between the fish.


----------



## iamnotjackjohnson (Aug 4, 2004)

Thanks Dave and DJRansome, I appreciate any and all feedback!

Those links are interesting Dave, it seems like no one has come out and said for sure if they are the same or if they are different, but if Ad Konings thinks that they are the same then that's hard for me to go against.

DJR-I thought this was an interesting quote "The species occasionally seen in the aquarium hobby as P. elegans is thus the true P. livingstonii, and the hobby livingstonii is correctly M. lanisticola."

If that's true, then I would have 12 M. Lanisticola, since the other 8 were purchased as P. Livingstonii... now I just need to figure out what the difference is between P. elegans and P. Livingstonii/M. Lanisticola to be fairly sure about which I have.

Regardless, they are fun to watch! I stuck some larger shells in with the group of 8 last night and it was fun watching them all gather around the shells to check out their new "digs".

Well, I'm going to keep them apart for now until I can do a little more research I guess.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No my quote was from Ad Konings...he thinks they are different. The M.lanisticola are the ones that "are almost always found in or near empty Lanistes shells".

Caudal fin:
M.lanisticola fin has pattern of irregular yellow and blue stripes
P.livingstonii fin is clear and usually has a black upper and lower edge


----------



## nfrost (Mar 10, 2009)

I purchased a trio of Pseudo Livingstonii about a year ago in search of the elusive Malawi shell dweller and when I received them I placed them in a tank by themselves with a couple handfuls of shells and a couple rocks, needless to say they never entered the shells for a month at which time I placed them in my 125 with my other mbuna. Later i found out that I have the true Ps Livingstonii and the malawi shell dweller is a completely different species all together, Met lanisticola.

After some investigation I have found out that Ps Livingstonii and Ps Elegans are the same fish and this fish is a sand dweller, females will school around together similarly to ps sp acei, where as the males forge around singly, I now have about 10 Livingstonii adults in my 125. Met lanisticola and met sp 'lanisticola north' are the two shell dwelling species and are rare in the hobby but are out there, I am still in search of some.

Below are three links that should help identify your fish with pictures. The first is the shell dweller Met sp. 'lanisticola north' which is a species very similar in appearance. And the second link is that of Ps Livingstonii incorrectly labeled as Maylandi Elegans, and the third is another Livingstonii labeled as Metriaclima.
http://www.malawi-dream.info/Maylandia_ ... _Ngara.htm
http://www.malawi-dream.info/Maylandia_elegans.htm
http://www.safhl.net/davesfish/images/M ... Likoma.jpg


----------

