Chalinochromis popelini "Cape Tembwe"
Cape Tembwe — KAYP TEHM-bweh (approx.)
The fish
How this cichlid is built, and everything about how it lives, eats and breeds, is shared with the species — this page doesn't repeat it.
Read the full the base species account →Specific to Cape Tembwe
- Collection locality & coordinates
- Local coloration — best judged from the living-fish photo
- Kept as a single-provenance line, never crossed with other collection points
Care facts below are the species' — shared with the base species.
IUCNNOT EVALUATED
NEnot on the EX–LC scale
CARESNOT LISTED
EWCRENVUNTnot on the priority list
Scientific size5.9 in15 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH8.6–9.3alkaline
Depth10–98 ft3–30 m
DietPicks invertebrates & biocover from rocks
BreedingBiparental substrate/cave spawner~30–60 eggs (genus-typical; popelini clutch poorly documented)
Sexual dimorphismYesModest: males grow somewhat larger than females; no reversed size dimorphism (unlike the undescribed Tanzanian 'bifrenatus' form).
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →The Cape Tembwe population
Chalinochromis popelini "Cape Tembwe" is the Cape Tembwe population of Chalinochromis popelini, a geographic colour form from the Democratic Republic of the Congo coast of Lake Tanganyika in the central part of the lake. It is the same species as Chalinochromis popelini, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.
Colour reference: living Cape Tembwe fish at tanganyika.si →
Sources
- tanganyika.si — Chalinochromis popelini "Cape Tembwe"
- Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — popelini, Chalinochromis (current status Julidochromis popelini)
- FishBase — Chalinochromis popelini summary
- FishBase — Chalinochromis popelini field guide / distribution (IUCN status: Not Evaluated)
- GBIF — Chalinochromis popelini Brichard, 1989
- Konings, A. 2023. 'The rise and fall of Chalinochromis'. Buntbarsche Bulletin 318:6-13 (abstract)