Aulonocara is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to Lake Malawi in East Africa. All Aulonocara species are maternal mouth brooders. Particularly in the aquarium hobby, Aulonocara species are also known as peacock cichlids, aulonocaras or simply "peacocks". This genus is strongly sexually dichromic, even by haplochromine standards.

Aulonocara
Male fairy cichlid (A. hansbaenschi)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Tribe: Haplochromini
Genus: Aulonocara
Regan, 1922
Type species
Aulonocara nyassae
Regan, 1922

As aquarium fish, they are best kept with other medium-sized nonaggressive cichlids from Lake Malawi. All peacock cichlids are known to be less aggressive than their Mbuna counterparts, and thrive in warmer waters that have a slightly basic pH.

Species

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Female of an unidentified Aulonocara species

The 22 recognized species in this genus are:[1]

References

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  1. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Aulonocara". FishBase. February 2013 version.
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