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Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps

Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps
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Neolamprologus pulcher 'Cape Nundo'.jpg Neolamprologus pulcher 'Chituta Bay'.jpg Neolamprologus pulcher 'Isanga Bay'.jpg Neolamprologus pulcher 'Kabwe Nsolo'.jpg Neolamprologus pulcher 'Kafungi'.jpg
Previous pageNext pageNeolamprologus pulcher 'Isanga Bay'
Tribe / Genus: Lamprologini / Neolamprologus
Type locality: Kasanga, Lake Tanganyika.
Biotope: Inhabits rocky habitats, typically found at depths between 4 and 20 m, with the highest densities observed between 7 and 15 m.
Geographic distribution: Occurs mainly in the southern part of Lake Tanganyika, including Zambia and southern Tanzania. In Zambia it is found from Cape Chaitika to the Kalambo River, with the distribution continuing beyond the Kalambo River into Tanzania up to the Lwazi River. In Tanzania, the species is also present between Korongwe Bay and Karema.
Typical adult size: Approximately 9–10 cm total length.
Sexual dimorphism: Males and females are very similar in appearance; males are on average slightly larger.
Recommended aquarium size: 200 L
Aquarium setup: Use fine sand as substrate and arrange rocks to simulate a rocky environment, forming numerous caves and passages. When kept as a pair, a colony often forms quickly. In colonies, a dominant male controls the entire group. Larger colonies require larger aquaria (300 L or more). Due to high reproductive success and strong territorial defense that expands with colony growth, this species is best kept in a species-only aquarium; long-term cohabitation with other Tanganyika cichlids is generally discouraged.
Diet: Carnivorous; in nature feeds mainly on small invertebrates such as insect larvae and copepods, collected from the biocover or the water column above the substrate. In aquaria it readily accepts most foods, including live and frozen offerings.
Breeding: Once a pair is established, breeding occurs regularly. Each pair maintains a territory defended not only by the parents but also by helpers, which may number up to 20 individuals. The species shows both monogamous and polygamous systems in the lake, with males sometimes maintaining up to four females. If one breeder dies, a helper next in hierarchy replaces it. Early spawns contain few eggs, later increasing to as many as 150. Fry of different sizes and ages form colonies; some remain near the parents as helpers, while others establish new pairs nearby. Although basically cave spawners, females may deposit eggs on outer cave walls or even on the aquarium front glass when colony defense is strong.
Aggression: Highly aggressive toward other species; capable of confronting much larger cichlids. Territorial defense is collective, and as the colony grows, its effective strength and occupied area increase, often leading to conflicts. A species-only aquarium is strongly recommended.
Special notes: For many years N. brichardi and N. pulcher were treated as separate species. In the late 1990s some authors began to argue they should be considered the same species, with N. brichardi as a junior synonym of N. pulcher because N. pulcher was described earlier. Dierkes (1999) and later Duftner (2007), based on mtDNA analyses, also supported merging them, and Ad Konings agreed in the 3rd edition of “Tanganyika cichlids in their natural habitat”.
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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Photo: © Evert van Ammelrooy
Photo: © M. Kwolek-Mirek
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Lake Tanganyika cichlids — species, locations & maps.
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