tanganyika.si

Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps
By genera By locations Locations Maps Posters Interactive map
Neolamprologus sp. 'eseki' Mwaka, Korongwe Bay.jpg Neolamprologus sp. 'eseki' Nkondwe Island.jpg Neolamprologus sp. 'eseki' Udachi.jpg
Previous pageNeolamprologus sp. 'eseki' Udachi
Tribe / Genus: Lamprologini / Neolamprologus
Biotope: Coastal rocky and intermediate habitats, typically over mixed rock-and-sand bottoms.
Geographic distribution: Occurs on the Tanzanian shore north of the Kipili Archipelago: recorded from the five northernmost islands of the archipelago (Kamamba, Kasisi, Kerenge, Nkondwe, and Mwila) and northwards along the mainland up to Isonga.
Typical adult size: About 10–11 cm TL in the lake; in aquaria it may grow roughly 1 cm larger.
Sexual dimorphism: Males may be slightly larger; otherwise there are no clear visual differences between sexes.
Recommended aquarium size: 200 L (for an established pair). In community aquaria, at least 300 L is recommended.
Aquarium setup: Provide several larger rock piles separated into distinct structures, with fine sand on the bottom. For an established pair, a tank of at least 200 L is advised due to the species’ temperament; for a community tank, a substantially larger aquarium is recommended.
Diet: Carnivorous; feeds mainly on various invertebrates, and occasionally also on small snails.
Breeding: Reported as most likely similar to N. christyi. Egg numbers are described as being in the hundreds. In captive observations referenced in the provided material, spawns produced more than 100 fry, and a pair in the wild (Katondo, Cape Mpimbwe) was estimated to be guarding around 100 fry.
Aggression: Extremely aggressive toward conspecifics and also toward other species; a spacious aquarium is required.
Special notes: Based on observations and accounts by African Diving Ltd, Neolamprologus sp. “Eseki” was discovered in early 1990 at the rocky shore of Udachi, southern Tanzania. The species was initially misidentified as N. mondabu and some of the first exported specimens were shipped under that name, before it was recognised as a distinct taxon and introduced as N. sp. “Eseki” later the same year.
The species inhabits shallow rocky and sandy habitats and is characterised by a greyish to dark brown body, yellowish to yellow-brown fins, blue-green eyes, and a slightly emarginate caudal fin with pointed corners. Certain populations, such as those from Kansombo, Katondo, and Cape Korongwe, exhibit a black margin on the lower part of the caudal fin, whereas populations around the Kipili Archipelago lack this feature.
N. sp. “Eseki” appears morphologically and behaviourally intermediate between N. mondabu and N. christyi. It is more aggressive than N. mondabu but slightly less aggressive than N. christyi, and the shape of the caudal fin is likewise intermediate between the two species. It has been suggested that N. sp. “Eseki” could represent a natural hybrid or a geographical derivative of these taxa; however, African Diving Ltd consider it a valid and distinct species based on consistent morphological characters and a clearly delimited distribution.
Within the Kipili Archipelago, N. sp. “Eseki” is confined to the five northern islands and does not occur sympatrically with N. christyi, which is restricted to the three southern islands. This pattern of geographical separation is also observed in several other cichlid species and colour variants in the same area.
Fotografija:

© by African Diving Ltd

Skupina/Rod: Lamprologini/Neolamprologus
Biotop: Skalna in vmesna obalna okolja.
Običajna odrasla velikost: V jezeru zrastejo do velikosti okrog 10 do 11 cm. V akvariju pa lahko še za kak cm več.
Razlika med spoloma: Samci znajo biti za malenkost večji, drugače se pa po videzu samci ne ločijo od samic.
Priporočljiva velikost akvarija: 200 L (za formiran par)
Ureditev akvarija: V akvariju naj bodo posamezne večje gmote kamnov, na dnu pa droben pesek.
V primeru formiranega para naj bo akvarij velikosti vsaj 200 L, saj gre za agresivno vrsto (po temperamentu je nekje vmes med vrstama N. mondabu in N. christyi). V primeru skupinskega akvarija pa naj bo akvarij še precej večji (vsaj 300 L).
Hrana: Mesojed. V glavnem se prehranjuje z raznimi nevretenčarji, občasno pa tudi z manjšimi polži.
Razmnoževanje: Razmnoževanje je najverjetneje podobno, kot pri vrsti N. christyi. Število jajčec je nekaj sto.
Agresivnost: Je izredno agresiven ostrižnik znotraj svoje vrste, kakor tudi do drugih vrst, zato je potrebno zagotoviti precej velik akvarij.
Komentar: Vrsto N. sp. 'eseki' so leta 1990 odkrili in poimenovali African Diving. Ta vrsta naseljuje območje severno od arhipelaga Kipili, kjer jo najdemo na 5-tih najsevernejših otokih (Kamamba, Kasisi, Kerenge, Nkondwe in Mwila) in pa vse do lokacije Isonga. Ad Koningsu (2015) poroča, da jo najdemo le do lokacije Karema, a so jo African Diving zasledili vse do omenjene lokacija Isonga, ki je še nekoliko severneje od Kareme. Določene populacije vrste N. sp. 'eseki' imajo na spodnji strani repne plavuti črn rob. Ad Konings (2015) navaja, da je take populacije N. sp. 'eseki' videl na lokacijah Kansombo, Katondo in Cape Korongwe. Medtem ko populacije N. sp. 'eseki' okrog arhipelaga Kipili tega črnega roba nimajo.
N. sp. 'eseki' bi drugače lahko uvrstili nekje vmes med vrsti N. christyi in N. mondabu. So bolj agresivni od vrste N. mondabu in malenkost manj agresivni od vrste N. christyi. Tudi repna plavut je nekje vmes med tema vrstama in sicer oblika polmeseca ni tako izrazita kot pri vrsti N. christyi, je pa bolj kot pri N. mondabu.
Domneva je, da je ta vrsta naravni hibrid med vrstama N. mondabu in N. christyi ali pa celo med N. modestus in N. christyi. V svoji zadnji knjigi (2015) Ad Konings vrsto N. sp. 'eseki' smatra kot geografsko varianto vrste N. mondabu, kar pa je rahlo vprašljivo, saj se distribucija vrste N. mondabu na vzhodni obali konča pri lokaciji Karago, ki je cca 200 km severneje od lokacije Isonga, kjer zasledimo tole vrste, ki je torej po videzu in obnašanju nekje vmes med vrstama N. christyi in N. mondabu.

Neolamprologus sp. 'eseki' Udachi
Fotografija: © by African Diving Ltd


Neolamprologus sp. 'eseki' Udachi
Fotografija: © by African Diving Ltd


Neolamprologus sp. 'eseki' Udachi
Fotografija: © by African Diving Ltd


Neolamprologus sp. 'eseki' Udachi
Fotografija: © by African Diving Ltd


tanganyika.si
Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps.
All images are used with permission of the authors. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Quick links
By genera By locations Locations Maps Posters Interactive map
Contact
Email Facebook Instagram
© tanganyika.si