Lamprologus speciosus "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.
IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
EXEWCRENVUNTLC
CARESNOT LISTED
EWCRENVUNTnot on the priority list
Scientific size2.6 in6.5 cm total length
Temperature73–81 °F23–27 °C
pH7.4–8.4alkaline
Depth10–197 ft3–60 m
DietBenthic micro-invertebrates: chironomid midge larvae and small crustaceans (copepods)
BreedingShell spawner10–20 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesMales noticeably larger than females; ripe females show a rounder, lighter-colored belly
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →The Cape Tembwe population
Lamprologus speciosus "Cape Tembwe" is the Cape Tembwe population of Lamprologus speciosus, 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 Lamprologus speciosus, 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 — Lamprologus speciosus "Cape Tembwe"
- Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — species record for Lamprologus speciosus (current status: Neolamprologus speciosus, Büscher 1991)
- FishBase — Lamprologus speciosus summary (Büscher, 1991)
- Büscher, H.H. 1991. Neue Schneckencichliden aus dem Tanganjikasee. DATZ 44(6):374–382 (original description; via Catalog of Fishes reference)
- O'Reilly, C.M. et al. 2003. Climate change decreases aquatic ecosystem productivity of Lake Tanganyika, Africa. Nature 424:766–768
- Cohen, A.S. et al. 2016. Climate warming reduces fish production and benthic habitat in Lake Tanganyika. PNAS 113(34):9563–9568