Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps

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Neolamprologus marunguensis 'Kapampa'.jpg

Neolamprologus marunguensis (unknown locality)

Tribe / Genus:	Lamprologini / Neolamprologus
Type locality:	Near Kapampa, 80 km south of Moba, Lake Tanganyika, Democratic Republic of Congo
Biotope:	Rocky habitat close to the shore. The species inhabits greater depths than most other “Princess” cichlids, occurring mainly between 25 and 35 m.
Geographic distribution:	Occurs on the southern Congolese coast of Lake Tanganyika, between Moliro and Kapampa. In the area between the Lunangwa River and Kapampa it occurs sympatrically with Neolamprologus gracilis.
Typical adult size:	Around 7 cm total length; in aquarium conditions individuals may grow slightly larger.
Sexual dimorphism:	No clear visual differences between sexes; males are on average slightly larger.
Recommended aquarium size:	100 L for a pair or for one male with two females.
Aquarium setup:	The aquarium should contain plenty of rocks arranged to form passages and caves. A fine sand substrate is recommended.
Diet:	Carnivorous. Feeds on small invertebrates such as insects and cyclops. In aquarium conditions, live and frozen foods are readily accepted.
Breeding:	Forms colonies, but these are considerably smaller and less dense than in Neolamprologus brichardi or Neolamprologus pulcher. Typical brood size ranges from approximately 30 to 60 fry.
Aggression:	Less aggressive towards conspecifics than most other “Princess” species. Generally peaceful towards other species, but becomes territorial during spawning and while guarding fry.
Special notes:	This species belongs to the savoryi–brichardi–pulcher lyretail species complex. It lacks opercular markings and shows a uniformly light beige coloration, blue eyes, and short blue-white filamentous extensions on the unpaired fins. Due to its greater depth range and intermediate morphology, it has been suggested that Neolamprologus marunguensis may have a hybrid origin, possibly involving Neolamprologus gracilis and Neolamprologus splendens. The species is found sympatrically with Neolamprologus gracilis, but differs clearly in body shape, fin proportions, and depth distribution. On the eastern Tanzanian coast there is another form very similar to Neolamprologus marunguensis, occurring between Ikola and Isonga. In an earlier book (1998) Ad Konings assigned this form to Neolamprologus marunguensis, while in his later work he grouped it, together with several other forms, under Neolamprologus pulcher (Konings 2015). The same “Princess” variant was exported by African Diving Ltd in the late 1990s and early 2000s under the name Neolamprologus sp. ‘Crassus Kekese’, due to its resemblance to Neolamprologus crassus from the western coast. Magnus and Mikael Karlsson of African Diving Ltd now consider this population to represent an undescribed species and refer to it as Neolamprologus sp. ‘Princess Kekese’.