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Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps
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⚠ Neolamprologus cancellatus 'Wonzye Point'
Tribe / Genus: Lamprologini / Neolamprologus
Type locality: Wonzye Point, Zambia.
Biotope: A small rocky outcrop of boulders with coarse sand and accumulations of Neothauma shells.
Geographic distribution: Known only from the type locality at Wonzye Point, Zambia. Occurs at depths of up to seven meters.
Typical adult size: Holotype: 44.1 mm standard length (51.9 mm total length). Paratypes: 33.6–57.1 mm standard length (39.9–68.2 mm total length).
Special notes: Neolamprologus cancellatus was described in 2005 based on eight specimens (six males and two females) collected at a single locality. The species is known exclusively from preserved material; no stable population, ecological niche, or reproductive behavior has ever been documented in Lake Tanganyika. Although the type locality is shallow and should be easy to sample, live animals have never been exported and only single specimens were repeatedly collected for scientific purposes. Subsequent behavioral observations and genome-wide molecular analyses demonstrate that all known specimens represent spontaneously occurring first-generation (F1) hybrids rather than a reproductively independent lineage. Genetic evidence, including mtDNA analyses, indicates Telmatochromis vittatus as the most likely paternal species, while a lamprologine species—most probably Neolamprologus fasciatus—is inferred as the maternal parent. As a result, Neolamprologus cancellatus does not represent a valid biological species. Although the name remains available under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the status of Neolamprologus cancellatus as a true species cannot be maintained.

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Photo: © Heinz H. Buscher
Photo: © Heinz H. Buscher
Photo: © Heinz H. Buscher
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Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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