Cyphotilapia Explained

Cyphotilapia is a small genus of African cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika, with C. frontosa being roughly confined to the northern half of the lake and C. gibberosa roughly to the southern half.[1] They have a distinctly banded pattern, bulbous foreheads when mature and can reach up to 33abbr=inNaNabbr=in in length.[1]

These are a mouth-brooding cichlid with a rather small batch of fry each spawn. The mother will hold the fry in her mouth for about 3–4 weeks before finally releasing about 30-70 fry. These are slow-growing fish, which take up to 6 years to reach sexual maturity. They can live for up to 25 years.

Species

There are currently two recognized species in this genus:

Notes and References

  1. Takahashi, T. and K. Nakaya (2003). New species of Cyphotilapia (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika, Africa. Copeia 2003(4): 824-832.