Lamprologus signatus "Kekese"
Kekese — keh-KEH-seh (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 Kekese
- 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.
IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
EXEWCRENVUNTLC
CARESNOT LISTED
EWCRENVUNTnot on the priority list
Scientific size2.2 in5.5 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH7.5–9alkaline
Depth33–328 ft10–100 m
DietMicro-invertebrate predator; feeds on small shrimp, ostracods, and micro-crustaceans picked from and just above the soft muddy substrate; also takes zooplankton (FishBase trophic level ~3.6)
BreedingShell/mud-tunnel substrate spawnerSmall clutch; exact count undocumented in the primary literature
Sexual dimorphismYesMarked size dimorphism: males clearly larger (~5.5 cm) than females (~3.5 cm); males display vivid dark vertical bars that intensify during aggression and courtship; females are plainer and less strongly marked
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →The Kekese population
Lamprologus signatus "Kekese" is the Kekese population of Lamprologus signatus, a geographic colour form from the Tanzania coast of Lake Tanganyika in the north-central part of the lake. It is the same species as Lamprologus signatus, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.
Colour reference: living Kekese fish at tanganyika.si →
Sources
- tanganyika.si — Lamprologus signatus "Kekese"
- Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — species record for signatus, Lamprologus (Poll 1952)
- FishBase — Lamprologus signatus summary
- FishBase — Lamprologus signatus point map / GBIF occurrence data
- GBIF — Neolamprologus signatus taxon record
- IUCN Red List — Neolamprologus signatus (Haambiya, L., 2025)