Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Lepidiolamprologus kendalli

Lepidiolamprologus kendalli "Mbita Island"

Mbita Island — m-BEE-tah EYE-land (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 Mbita Island

  • 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
Scientific size7.9 in20 cm total length
Temperature73–81 °F23–27 °C
pH7.4–8.4alkaline
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 Mbita Island population

Lepidiolamprologus kendalli "Mbita Island" is the Mbita Island population of Lepidiolamprologus kendalli, a geographic colour form from the Zambia coast of Lake Tanganyika in the north-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 Mbita Island 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 "Mbita Island"
  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)