Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Lepidiolamprologus kendalli

Lepidiolamprologus kendalli "Cape Kabayeye"Kendall's lamprologus

Lepidiolamprologus kendalli (Cape Kabayeye, Chituta Bay, Kala, Kambwimba, Kasanga, Kasola Island, Mbita Island, Muzi, Nkamba Bay, Sumbu NP)

Cape Kabayeye — KAYP kah-bah-YEH-yeh (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 Lepidiolamprologus kendalli account →

Specific to Cape Kabayeye

  • 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 Lepidiolamprologus kendalli.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Genus type speciesLepidiolamprologus elongatusdescribed as Lamprologus elongatus Boulenger 1898
Scientific size8 in20 cm total length
Temperature73–81 °F23–27 °C
pH7.4–8.4alkaline
Habitat waterhard · 600–690 µS/cmLake Tanganyika
Depth66–197 ft20–60 m
DietPiscivore; feeds primarily on small fishes, including fry of other cichlids; uses ambush-and-pursuit strategy in rocky crevices.
BreedingCave/crevice substrate spawner70–150 eggs (up to 300 in large experienced pairs)
Sexual dimorphismYesMales larger (to ~20 cm) than females (16–17 cm); no reliable color difference; sexing requires genital papilla examination or size comparison.
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Cape Kabayeye population

Lepidiolamprologus kendalli "Cape Kabayeye" is the Cape Kabayeye population of Lepidiolamprologus kendalli, 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 Lepidiolamprologus kendalli, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Cape Kabayeye fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Lepidiolamprologus kendalli is a torpedo-shaped, fish-eating cichlid endemic to the southern reaches of Lake Tanganyika, where it cruises the rocky shoreline hunting smaller fishes. Slow to anger but quick to strike, it is one of the larger lamprologines a hobbyist is likely to encounter, and one whose very name carries a long-running taxonomic argument with its near-twin, the fish many keepers still call "nkambae." An adult, with its visible canines and restless patrol of the reef, leaves no doubt that it is a predator first and an ornament second.

Full Lepidiolamprologus kendalli account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Lepidiolamprologus kendalli "Cape Kabayeye"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Lepidiolamprologus kendalli (Poll & Stewart 1977)
  3. FishBase — Lepidiolamprologus kendalli summary
  4. FishBase — Lepidiolamprologus kendalli occurrence records (GBIF-sourced)
  5. Schelly, Takahashi, Bills & Hori (2007) — aggressive mimicry in a new Lepidiolamprologus (Zootaxa 1638)
  6. O'Reilly et al. (2003) — Climate change decreases aquatic ecosystem productivity of Lake Tanganyika (Nature)
  7. IUCN Red List — Lepidiolamprologus kendalli "Cape Kabayeye"
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