Lepidiolamprologus
Encyclopedia
Lepidiolamprologus is a small genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of cichlid
Cichlid
Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...

s endemic to Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...

 in eastern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. It is closely related to Altolamprologus
Altolamprologus
Altolamprologus is a small genus of pseudocrenilabrine cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa. They inhabit areas of the lake with large amounts of rock, most frequently in water two to ten metres in depth. Two formally described species comprise this genus, with perhaps one dwarf A....

.

This genus is listed in FishBase
FishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...

 with six described species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

; an additional one was described in 2007. Some authors also include four additional species that others place in Neolamprologus
Neolamprologus
Neolamprologus is a genus of cichlid fishes endemic to eastern Africa with all but one species occurring in Lake Tanganyika. It is the largest genus of cichlids in Lake Tanganyika and also the largest genus in the tribe Lamprologini, which includes Altolamprologus, Chalinochromis, Julidochromis, ...

(see below), and these may indeed belong here.

L. cunningtoni
Lepidiolamprologus cunningtoni
Lepidiolamprologus cunningtoni is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-References:...

on the other hand seems to be a close relative of N. modestus
Neolamprologus modestus
Neolamprologus modestus is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it is found in Tanzania and Zambia.-References:* Bigirimana, C. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....

and the Fourspine Cichlid
Fourspine cichlid
The fourspine cichlid is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.-References:...

 (N. tetracanthus), though with hybridization running rampant in the Lamprologini
Lamprologini
Lamprologini is a tribe of African cichlid fishes. It contains seven genera and nearly 100 species. Over half of the species in this tribe are in the large genus Neolamprologus. Most genera in the tribe are endemic to Lake Tanganyika, but one species of Neolamprologus Lamprologini is a tribe of...

 one cannot entirely be sure of its relationships at present. But it differs enough from the other species in Lepidiolamprologus to conclude that it is better moved out of this genus.

The species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, sorted tentatively from the most ancient to the most modern, are:
  • Lepidiolamprologus nkambae
    Lepidiolamprologus nkambae
    Lepidiolamprologus nkambae is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-Source:* Bigirimana, C. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....

  • Lepidiolamprologus elongatus
    Lepidiolamprologus elongatus
    Lepidiolamprologus elongatus is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-References:...

  • Lepidiolamprologus profundicola
    Lepidiolamprologus profundicola
    Lepidiolamprologus profundicola is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-References:...

  • Lepidiolamprologus sp. 'meeli-kipili'
  • Lepidiolamprologus kendalli
    Lepidiolamprologus kendalli
    Lepidiolamprologus kendalli is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes. Its status is insufficiently known.-Source:* Bigirimana, C. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....

  • Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus
    Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus
    Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is intermittent freshwater lakes.-Source:...

  • Lepidiolamprologus mimicus Schelly, Takahashi, Bills & Hori, 2007 (exact relationships undetermined)


Lepidiolamprologus cunningtoni
Lepidiolamprologus cunningtoni
Lepidiolamprologus cunningtoni is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-References:...

probably belongs elsewhere, as per above.

Species possibly belonging here are:
  • Neolamprologus boulengeri
    Neolamprologus boulengeri
    Neolamprologus boulengeri is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to the northern part of Lake Tanganyika, where is found in the waters of Burundi and Tanzania....

    (L. attenuatus group)
  • Neolamprologus hecqui
    Neolamprologus hecqui
    Neolamprologus hecqui is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it is found in the waters of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia....

    (L. attenuatus group)
  • Neolamprologus meeli
    Neolamprologus meeli
    Neolamprologus meeli is a cichlid species in the subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it is found in the waters of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia....

    (L. attenuatus group)
  • Neolamprologus variostigma (after L. elongatus)
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