Cyphotilapia
Humphead cichlid (C. frontosa)
Cyphotilapia gibberosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe: Cyphotilapini
Takahashi, 2003
Genus: Cyphotilapia
Regan, 1920
Type species
Paratilapia frontosa
Boulenger, 1906

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 33 cm (1.1 feet) in length.[1][2]

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:[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Takahashi, T. and K. Nakaya (2003). New species of Cyphotilapia (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika, Africa. Copeia 2003(4): 824-832.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Cyphotilapia in FishBase. February 2013 version.


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