''Lamprologus congoensis'', the Congo lionhead cichlid is a species of riverine

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...

which is widespread in the

Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...

, it is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the genus ''

Lamprologus ''Lamprologus'' is a genus of fishes from the cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order P ...

''.

Description

''Lamprolgus congoensis'' is one of the more deep-bodied riverine species of ''Lamprolgus'' with the mean body depth being 25.2% of the standard length and the head is roughly one third of the standard length. Smaller fish have the forehead at a steeper angle than more mature fish. It is a sexually dimorphic species in which the males attain a larger size than the females and develop a fat-filled nuchal hump on the head, and have relatively longer fins than the females. The base body colouration is greyish lavender, shading to yellow on the belly, just to the rear of the base of the pectoral fin, along the junction of

preoperculum This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

and operculum, and around lower margin of orbit. There is a scaleless, dark spot on the operculum and there are normally five or six darkish vertical bars along flanks . Each flank scales has dark pigment distributed uniformly around exposed rare edde and these intersect to create a pattern reminiscent of

chain mail Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...

. Small, whitish spots form lines along the membranes between the rays of the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involvin ...

and

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

s. These three fins also show oblique black striations. There are iridescent spots in towards the posterior point of most of the flank scales, next to the overlapping edge of the scale in front of it. Males grow to around 15 cm in total length, females to 10 cm.

Distribution

''Lamprolgus congoensis'' occurs in the

basin, from the

Pool Malebo The Pool Malebo, formerly Stanley Pool, also known as Mpumbu, Lake Nkunda or Lake Nkuna by local indigenous people in pre-colonial times, is a lake-like widening in the lower reaches of the Congo River.

to Monsembe in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the lower Kasai and in the upper

Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

in the Central African Republic.

Habitat and ecology

''Lamprolgus congoensis'' is a

benthopelagic The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...

species which is found in areas of rapids It appears to feed on invertebrates and a gut examined contains the remains of insects and spider, They males are territorial and usually have a number of females within the territory he guards, the female lays 80 or so eggs in a sheltered spot such as a cave, laying the eggs onto the ceiling of the cave. The eggs hatch after around 54 hours and the eggs and young fish are guarded by the female until the fry become free swimming at eight days old.

Human use

''Lamprolgus congoensis'' is a quarry species for fisheries and is a species used for human consumption. It is common and easy to breed in the aquarium.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5686479 congoensis Freshwater fish of Central Africa Fish described in 1891