Distribution, Abundance and Parental Care of the Genus Lamprologus (Cichlidae) in Lake Tanganyika

Abstract

Distribution, abundance and parental care of the genus Lamprologus -- L. brichardi, L. compressiceps, L. elongatus, L. furcifer, L. leleupi, L. lemairei, L. modestus, L. savoryi, L. toae and L. tretocephalus -- inhabiting the rocky shore in Lake Tanganyika, were observed underwater by SCUBA diving from July to November 1981. Each species shows a substratum preference as for feeding, spawning and parental care. They have breeding territory on a small limited area, and the distributions never overlap. The parental care is divided into three types in relation to their mating types: monogamy, polygyny and colonial breeding. The fry distribution according to their development under parental care is divided into two patterns of expansion: the horizontal and the vertical.