Tribe Ectodini

Welcome to the section on the wonderful Lake Tanganyika cichlids from the tribe Ectodini. The tribe is rated as the most morphologically and behaviourially diverse tribe in the Lake, and encompass both sand-, rock- and mud-dwelling cichlids, that are either biparental or maternal mouthbrooders. The section contains both information on the systematics of the tribe, as well as the aquarium keeping of the involved species.

By Thomas Andersen.

Overview of genera and species

Introduction.

Synopsis of Aulonocranus Regan, 1920.

Synopsis of Callochromis Regan, 1920.

Synopsis of Cardiopharynx Poll, 1942.

Synopsis of Cunningtonia Boulenger, 1906.

Synopsis of Cyathopharynx Regan, 1920.

Synopsis of Ectodus Boulenger, 1898.

Synopsis of Grammatotria Boulenger, 1899.

Synopsis of Lestradea Poll, 1943.

Synopsis of Ophthalmotilapia Pellegrin, 1904.

Synopsis of Xenotilapia Boulenger, 1899.

Potentially undescribed species

Ectodus sp. "north".

Xenotilapia sp. "blue dorsal".

Xenotilapia sp. "fluorescent green".

Xenotilapia sp. "forked tail".

Xenotilapia sp. "katete".

Xenotilapia sp. "kilesa".

Xenotilapia sp. "lepeli".

Xenotilapia sp. "ochrogenys ndole".

Xenotilapia sp. "papilio sunflower".

Xenotilapia sp. "red princess".

Taxonomy & phylogenetic relationships

Ectodus - species reversed.

Xenotilapia nigrolabiata vs. Xenotilapia sp. "Red Princess".

Further investigations

Geographical variation in nest-building and coloration of Xenotilapia melanogenys?.

The reproduction mode of Xenotilapia sp. "red princess“: maternal or bi-parental mouthbrooder?.

Natural habitat, reproduction & maintenance

Callochromis pleurospilus (Boulenger 1906): A beautiful beast.

Cyathopharynx furcifer Burundi. Paolo Salvagiani.

Grammatotria lemairii Boulenger, 1899: The biggest sand-dweller of them all.

Xenotilapia ornatipinnis Boulenger, 1901: The Pearl from the Deep.

A Xenotilapia of a different shape: Xenotilapia leptura (Boulenger, 1901).

A sparkling jewel: Xenotilapia melanogenys (Boulenger, 1898).

Beautiful as a butterfly: Xenotilapia papilio Büscher, 1990.

Keeping and breeding Ectodus descampsii Boulenger, 1898.

Spawning Xenotilapia spiloptera Poll & Stewart, 1975. Ad Konings.

Venting sand-dwellers.

Sand-dweller Talks

Introduction to Sand-dweller Talks.

Forum

Lake Tanganyika Sand-dweller and Featherfin Forum.