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Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps
tanganyika.si
Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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If kept as a pair, a colony can form quickly. In a colony, a dominant male may establish control over the group.
Because this species is highly reproductive and expands its territory as the colony grows, it is strongly recommended to keep it in a species-only aquarium. Over the long term it is usually difficult to maintain successfully with other Tanganyikan cichlids, so such stocking is discouraged.
In nature they feed mainly on small invertebrates (e.g., insect larvae, copepods) found in the biocover or in the water column above the substrate.
In the aquarium they accept most foods; also offer a variety of live and frozen foods.
In the lake, the species may be monogamous at times, but can also be polygamous, with a male keeping up to 4 females in a harem.
If one member of the breeding pair dies, a helper next in the hierarchy can replace it. Early spawns are small, but later clutches can reach up to about 150 eggs.
Fry form colonies of mixed sizes and ages. Some older young remain close to the parents and help guard the territory; others form new pairs and establish new colonies elsewhere.
Although usually cave spawners, in established colonies females may deposit eggs on the outer wall of a cave; in aquaria they may even lay on the front glass.
Compared with N. savoryi and N. helianthus, which are less prolific, aquaria can fill very quickly with juveniles of many sizes that form a colony.
They live in colonies and defend territory collectively; as the colony grows, their defensive strength increases and they expand into more of the aquarium, often leading to conflicts with other fish.
For this reason, keeping them in a species-only aquarium is strongly recommended.
It is noted that Duftner’s work was a phylogenetic study of gene hierarchy, which is not directly focused on taxonomy, yet it contributed to the proposed taxonomic merger.
Magnus and Mikael Karlsson later conducted a broad taxonomic analysis covering more than 100 localities and concluded that N. brichardi and N. pulcher are undoubtedly two distinct species, reliably separable by facial colour patterns. This work was published in 2017 in issue 21 of Tanganika Magazyn, with an extensive illustrated article; a shortened version also exists on the blog “Neolamprologus pulcher and the analogy of N. brichardi”. The view that N. brichardi and N. pulcher are two different species is now also supported by CAS (The California Academy of Sciences).
In appearance, morphology, and behaviour the two species are very similar, but the facial pattern is usually the most reliable distinction, with some areas showing intermediate patterns.
Key facial distinctions described:
- In N. brichardi, a horizontal black line from the eye to the operculum, together
with another black line along the opercular edge, forms a “T” shape.
- In N. pulcher, the post-ocular line turns downward rather than running
horizontally, creating a “( (” double-crescent impression with the opercular
edge line.
- N. pulcher shows a yellow ring around the eye (sometimes faint); N. brichardi
lacks this ring.
- The cheek (area under the eye) is unpatterned in N. pulcher, while N. brichardi
shows a pattern (often blue and yellow lines, sometimes broken, or yellow/blue
spots).
In lake observations, N. brichardi has been seen in very large groups, sometimes over 1000 individuals; N. pulcher has not been observed in such dense aggregations at any location.Historically, N. brichardi was likely restricted to the northern part of the lake, while N. pulcher inhabited the southern areas. Over time and with lake-level fluctuations, N. brichardi also migrated south, and hybridization with N. pulcher occurred in some regions.
The northern form of N. brichardi is often known as “Princess of Burundi”. A well known southern N. pulcher variant is the “Daffodil”, associated with Kambwimba and Kantalaba.
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