All the Zebra-type cichlids were moved to their own genera and both Maylandia estherae and Metriaclima estherae were recognized for this cichlid. Recent revisions in the Pseudotropheus genus caused a new surge of identity crisis. Finally it was described as its own species, Pseudotropheus estherae, by Konings in 1995. It was known as the Orange Blue Mouth Breeder and described as Pseudotropheus spec. It was originally considered to be a variety of the Zebra Cichlid Pseudotropheus zebra. This cichlid has a history of ups and downs in both identity and popularity. This name aptly describes the environment these fish live in as opposed to being open water swimmers like the Utaka cichlids and other "haps". The name Mbuna comes from the Tonga people of Malawi and means "rockfish" or "rock-dwelling".
Dark red zebra cichlid full#
There are 13 genera full of very active and aggressive personalities of Mbuna cichlids. This is a zebra-type cichlid that belongs to a group called Mbunas. These are also one of only a handful of Mbuna species that produce blotched color mutations. In the wild adult males are light blue, while females can range between a brownish beige to an orange-red and lack the broad vertical barring. The coloring of both the male and the female is very appealing, almost looking like two separate species. The Red Zebra Maylandia estherae (previously Pseudotropheus estherae) is a very beautiful and desirable cichlid.