Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Xenochromis: Greek, xenos = strange + Greek, chromis = a kind of fish similar to perch (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Captain Célestin Hecq (1859–1910) served in the Belgium Forces stationed in the Congo that were fighting the slave trade. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Boulenger.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; depth range 6 - 100 m (Ref. 53528). Tropical; 3°S - 9°S
Africa: endemic to Lake Tanganyika, lake-wide distribution (Ref. 48629).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5716)
Belongs to the deepwater benthic community (Ref. 53528). Scale-eater (Ref. 7343, 46829), specialized on larger prey such as Bathybates species (Ref. 46829). Copepods have also been found in the stomach (Ref. 53528). Specimens have been caught at a depth of 100 m deep (Ref. 4967, 53528). Little is known of its breeding technique (Ref. 48629).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Poll, M., 1956. Exploration hydrobiologique du Lac Tanganika (1946-1947). Résultats scientifiques. Volume III, fascicule 5B. Poissons Cichlidae. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles. 619 pp. (Ref. 53528)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Aquarium: commercial
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