HomeFish encyclopediaRay-finned fishesPerch-like fishCichlidsPetrotilapia ?yellow ventral? Petrotilapia ?yellow ventral? (Petrotilapia flaviventris) Scientific name: Petrotilapia flaviventris Lundeba, Stauffer Jr. & Konings, 2011 The Petrotilapia ?yellow ventral? (Petrotilapia flaviventris) is a freshwater fish of the family Cichlidae. BiologyAbsence of a dark submarginal band in the dorsal fin distinguishes P. flaviventris from males of P. microgalana, P. genalutea, P. nigra, P. chrysos, P. mumboensis, and P. pyroscelos, which have such a band. Adult males of P. flaviventris are yellow on ventral and mid flank with scales outlined in blue; the dorsal one-third is blue to gray with yellow and orange highlights; cheeks and throat are yellow to orange. Males of P. tridentiger are light blue with dark blue bars; while those of P. xanthos are yellow. Adult male (and female) P. palingnathos have distinctly retrognathous jaws and can thus be distinguished from those of P.flaviventris. Females of P. flaviventris are yellow brown with interrupted black horizontal stripes and with a background coloration fading to dark brown dorsally, which distinguishes them from those of P. tridentiger, which are brown and from P. chrysos and P. microgalana, which are golden yellow. Females of P. flaviventris are further distinguished from those oSource: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Species factsScientific namePetrotilapia flaviventrisFamilyCichlidae (Cichlids)OrderPerciformes (Perch-like fish)ClassActinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)Maximum length11.1EnvironmentFreshwater; pelagicClimateTropicalDistributionAfrica: Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. Lake Malawi, Chizumulu Island, Same Bay. Konings (2007) reports the presence of P. flaviventris between Mbweca, Mozambique, and Undu Point, Tanzania.Conservation status (IUCN)Not EvaluatedThreat to humansHarmlessUsesFisheries: SourcesTaxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.Last updated 27 September 2026