Taxonomy & naming
Boulenger described Phyllonemus typus in 1906 from Niamkolo, Zambia, on Lake Tanganyika. It is the type species of Phyllonemus, which is why the epithet is typus. The genus sits in Claroteidae, and the Catalog of Fishes lists the name as valid.
Morphology
FishBase gives a maximum of 3.5 in TL. The common name refers to the barbels, which are flattened and leaf-shaped at the tips; the genus name joins Greek roots for leaf and thread.
Habitat
FishBase records it from Lake Tanganyika as a freshwater bottom fish, at depths to 66 ft, between latitudes 3 and 9 degrees south. It lives in the lake's hard, alkaline water. No temperature, pH or hardness range is cached.
Feeding
No diet is cached for the species. Phyllonemus is a small bottom feeder that takes invertebrates, and aquarium fish accept sinking live and frozen foods.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not described in the sources used.
Breeding
No breeding record is cached from FishBase, and none is documented in the sources the atlas draws on.
In the aquarium
Keep it in a Tanganyika-type tank with hard, alkaline water, rock caves and a sand floor. It stays small and is peaceful, but it hides by day and feeds after dark, so offer food at night.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List carries Phyllonemus typus as Least Concern, assessed in April 2021. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika.