Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps

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Neolamprologus longicaudatus 'Bilila (Kavala) Island'.jpg

Neolamprologus longicaudatus 'Milima Island'.jpg

Neolamprologus longicaudatus 'Ubwari'.jpg

Neolamprologus longicaudatus 'Bilila (Kavala) Island'

Tribe / Genus:	Lamprologini/Neolamprologus
Type locality:	Cape Banza, Ubwari Peninsula, Lake Tanganyika, Democratic Republic of Congo
Biotope:	Moderately deep rocky habitat. Most common at depths of about 12–15 m.
Geographic distribution:	Western Congolese coast of Lake Tanganyika, mainly from the Ubwari Peninsula (type locality) south to Milima.
Typical adult size:	Up to about 15 cm total length. Females are several centimeters smaller than males.
Sexual dimorphism:	No marked sexual dimorphism, except that females are smaller than males.
Recommended aquarium size:	300 L.
Aquarium setup:	Provide extensive rockwork to form many passages and caves. Keep as a pair or as one male with several females. In sufficiently large aquaria (300 L or more), it can be kept with other Tanganyika cichlids that use different zones of the aquarium.
Diet:	Carnivorous. Feeds on invertebrates. In aquarium, offer live and frozen foods.
Breeding:	Cave spawner. Ad Konings (2016) reports harem breeding, with a male spawning with several females; the female then cares for eggs and fry. Information on cichlidae.com differs, stating that both parents guard the brood, with the female inside the cave and the male guarding the cave entrance.
Aggression:	High intraspecific aggression, especially among males. Toward other species it is described as relatively peaceful.
Special notes:	A light-bodied species typically showing two horizontal lines. It may resemble Neolamprologus bifasciatus, but that species does not have a crescent-shaped caudal fin. The trade name “Ubwari Buescheri” suggests a link to N. buescheri; however, N. longicaudatus grows larger and is reported to spend more time outside caves than N. buescheri. The species was described from specimens collected at Cape Banza, and Ad Konings reports having seen it also around the Kavala islands and at locations between the Ubwari Peninsula and Kavala.