Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Julidochromis ornatus

Julidochromis ornatus "Mpulungu"

Mpulungu — m-poo-LOON-goo (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 Julidochromis ornatus account →

Specific to Mpulungu

  • 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 Julidochromis ornatus.

IUCNNEAR THREATENED · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size3.3 in8.5 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH7.5–9alkaline
Depth3–39 ft1–12 m
Dietbiocover grazer — aufwuchs and micro-invertebrates picked from rock surfaces
Breedingcave/crevice substrate spawnersmall, ~10–30 eggs per spawn
Sexual dimorphismYesfemales usually slightly larger; sexes otherwise alike — venting needed
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Mpulungu population

Julidochromis ornatus "Mpulungu" is the Mpulungu population of Julidochromis ornatus, a geographic colour form from the Zambia coast of Lake Tanganyika in the southern part of the lake. It is the same species as Julidochromis ornatus, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Mpulungu fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Julidochromis ornatus, the golden julie, is a small rock-dwelling cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika and the species that gave the genus its name. Boldly striped in yellow and black, it is a hobby staple, but its real distinction is biological: it is one of a handful of cichlids that breed cooperatively, with grown-up offspring lingering at the nest as helpers and with the parents flexibly trading roles depending on which of the pair is larger. Beloved in aquaria yet patchily distributed in the wild, it was reassessed as Near Threatened in 2025, largely because of the same ornamental trade that keeps it popular.

Full Julidochromis ornatus account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Julidochromis ornatus "Mpulungu"
  2. FishBase: Julidochromis ornatus (Golden julie)
  3. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (genus/species record, via FishBase links)
  4. iNaturalist: Golden Julie (Julidochromis ornatus) — taxonomy & status
  5. FishBase: Julidochromis marksmithi (diagnosis vs. ornatus)
  6. Awata et al. 2005, Social system and reproduction of helpers in a cooperatively breeding cichlid (Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 58:506-516)