Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Neolamprologus furcifer

Neolamprologus furcifer "Mvuna Island"

Mvuna Island — m-VOO-nah 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 Neolamprologus furcifer account →

Specific to Mvuna 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 Neolamprologus furcifer.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size5.9 in15 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH8–9alkaline
Depth7–131 ft2–40 m
DietAquatic insect larvae (including mayfly nymphs), small crustaceans, endemic shrimp (Limnocaridina latipes), fish eggs; benthic micro-predator foraging in rock crevices
Breedingcave spawner~50 eggs
Sexual dimorphismYesMales grow larger; old males develop a modest nuchal hump; sexes otherwise difficult to distinguish by eye
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Mvuna Island population

Neolamprologus furcifer "Mvuna Island" is the Mvuna Island population of Neolamprologus furcifer, 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 Neolamprologus furcifer, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Mvuna Island fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Neolamprologus furcifer is a slender, big-eyed cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it haunts the lightless cracks and overhangs of the rocky shore and is often seen clinging belly-up to the undersides of boulders. A solitary, secretive predator of small invertebrates, it is best known for an extraordinary piece of parenting: females raise broods of striped fry that masquerade as the lake's snails, and even manage the snail population around the nest to keep the disguise convincing. It is a demanding aquarium fish rather than a beginner's cichlid, prized by Tanganyikan specialists for its behavior rather than flashy color.

Full Neolamprologus furcifer account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Neolamprologus furcifer "Mvuna Island"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Neolamprologus furcifer
  3. FishBase — Neolamprologus furcifer summary
  4. FishBase — Food and Feeding Habits, Neolamprologus furcifer (Yuma et al. 1998)
  5. Kullander, Norén, Karlsson & Karlsson (2014) — Description of Neolamprologus timidus, new species, and review of N. furcifer from Lake Tanganyika
  6. Satoh et al. (2017) — Parental females of a nest-brooding cichlid improve and benefit from the protective value of young masquerading as snails (Animal Behaviour)