Neolamprologus furcifer "Sibwesa"
Neolamprologus furcifer (Bulu Point, Burundi, Cape Chaitika, Chituta Bay, Ifala, Jakobsen's Beach, Kalala Island, Kalepa Island, Kambwimba, Kasanga, Katete, Kekese, Kigoma, Kipili, Kolwe Point, Kombe, Luagala Point, Molwe, Msalaba, Mtosi, Musi Point, Mvuna Island, Sibwesa, Udachi, Ulwile Island)
Sibwesa — see-BWEH-sah (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 Sibwesa
- 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.
The Sibwesa population
Neolamprologus furcifer "Sibwesa" is the Sibwesa 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 Sibwesa 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
- tanganyika.si — Neolamprologus furcifer "Sibwesa"
- Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Neolamprologus furcifer
- FishBase — Neolamprologus furcifer summary
- FishBase — Food and Feeding Habits, Neolamprologus furcifer (Yuma et al. 1998)
- Kullander, Norén, Karlsson & Karlsson (2014) — Description of Neolamprologus timidus, new species, and review of N. furcifer from Lake Tanganyika
- 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)
- IUCN Red List — Neolamprologus furcifer "Sibwesa"