Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Xenotilapia: Greek, xenos = strange + Bechuana, African native thiape = fish (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Poll & Stewart.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical; 3°S - 9°S
Africa: endemic to Lake Tanganyika, widely distributed in the southern part of the lake (Ref. 46829).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.6 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5717)
Lives in groups, sometimes large schools; biparental mouthbrooder (Ref. 6770, 46829). Lives over the sand of the intermediate habitat; forages by scooping up sandy substrate or sediment and sifting it through gills; feeds mainly on insect larvae; rarely large schools are found in mid-water feeding on zooplankton (Ref. 46829).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Konings, A., 1998. Tanganyika cichlids in their natural habitat. Cichlid Press. 272 p. (Ref. 46829)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
