It can reach a total length of 42 centimetres (17 in).[2] Breeding males are black with white edges to the fins and are extremely similar to breeding male O. lidole, while females are more yellowish-brown than females of O. lidole and O. squamipinnis.[3][4]
It is part of the subgenus Nyasalapia, which are known as chambo. A taxonomic review recommended that O. saka should be considered a synonymofO. karongae (the two only differ by pharyngeal bones and teeth),[5] but at present both are considered valid by FishBase.[6]
The breeding males of chambo have long genital tassels that somewhat resemble fish eggs. During breeding, the female attempts to pick them up with her mouth and this helps the male in fertilizing the female's eggs, already in her mouth.[3][4]O. karongae mainly feeds on phytoplankton, including diatoms.[3]
^Turner, G.F.; and R.L. Robinson (1991). Ecology, morphology and taxonomy of the Lake Malawi Oreochromis (Nyasalapia) species flock. Annales de la Musée royal de l'Afrique Centrale (Tervuren) 262: 23-28.
