Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps

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Tropheus sp. 'lukuga' Bulu Point.jpg Xenotilapia flavipinnis 'Bulu Point'.jpg Xenotilapia sp. 'spilopterus north' Bulu Point.jpg
Previous pageXenotilapia sp. 'spilopterus north' Bulu Point
Tribe / Genus: Ectodini / Xenotilapia
Type locality: Nkumbula Island, Lake Tanganyika, Zambia.
Biotope: Inhabits the shallow intermediate habitat, occupying the transition zone between rocky and sandy areas.
Geographic distribution: Xenotilapia sp. ‘spilopterus north’ is found in the northern part of Lake Tanganyika, north of the Lubulungu River, and at least to the Kigoma area in Tanzania. Its presence along the coast of Gombe National Park is currently unknown.
According to Ad Konings, no spilopterus-like species have been reported from Burundi or from the northern part of the D.R. Congo.
Typical adult size: Up to approximately 10 cm total length.
Recommended aquarium size: 200 L
Aquarium setup: More robust and less strictly sand-bound than most other Xenotilapia, making it suitable for a Lake Tanganyika community aquarium. Suitable tankmates include smaller Neolamprologus, Cyprichromis and shell-dwellers.
The aquarium should contain some rocks, but also sufficiently large sandy areas and open swimming space. A single pair can be kept in an aquarium of 100 cm length; when housed together with other species, a minimum length of 120 cm is recommended.
Diet: Carnivorous. In nature it mainly feeds on insect larvae by sifting sand in a manner typical for Xenotilapia. It may also form large midwater schools feeding on zooplankton. In the aquarium it readily accepts frozen foods such as cyclops, insect larvae, artemia and small crustaceans, as well as high-quality prepared foods.
Breeding: Biparental mouthbrooder. Outside the breeding season it lives in large schools, but during spawning pairs separate and establish a small territory in rocky habitat. The female incubates the eggs and larvae for 9–12 days before transferring them to the male, who broods them for another 6–10 days. Both parents protect the fry for several weeks after release. Clutch size is usually around 40 fry.
Aggression: Generally peaceful; males may occasionally show mild intraspecific aggression.
Special notes: Spilopterus-like fishes from the northern part of Tanzania, north of the Lubulungu River, were treated by Ad Konings as a geographical variant of X. spilopterus in his later works. However, Fabrizia Ronco, Heinz H. Büscher, Adrian Indermaur and Walter Salzburger regard these northern populations as a distinct species, which they referred to as Xenotilapia sp. ‘spilopterus north’ in their 2019 article “The taxonomic diversity of the cichlid fish fauna of ancient Lake Tanganyika, East Africa”.
The easiest way to distinguish X. spilopterus from X. sp. ‘spilopterus north’ is the coloration of the dorsal fin: X. sp. ‘spilopterus north’ has tiny colored spots on the dorsal fin and lacks the blotchy markings present in all other known populations of X. spilopterus.

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Photo: © Stephane le Gall
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Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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