Lepidiolamprologus kamambae Kullander, Karlsson & Karlsson, 2012
03-Mai-2014 — New magazin published
Von Ad Konings
The brothers Mikael and Magnus Karlsson of African Diving Ltd recently published the first volume of a new journal they call “Lakesite Articles”. The first volume contains 24 pages with excellent photographs and first hand observations of cichlids of the genus Lepidiolamprologus in Lake Tanganyika. Together with Sven Kullander they recently published a number of descriptions of new cichlids from that lake, and the new journal can be seen as an extension to the official description. The authors explain their views on “their” new species and discuss the validity of another recently described cichlid, Lepidiolamprologus mimicus, which they suggest could as well be a color variant of L. elongatus, at least concerning the Tanzanian populations. As with all of their previous work, the authors speak with authority on Tanganyika cichlids and illustrate their articles lavishly with outstanding photographs, most of them taken in habitat. The magazine can be obtained via the website AfricanDivingLtd.com, and while you are there check out the amazing video clip of rare Tanganyika cichlids.
Karlsson, Mikael & M. Karlsson. 2013. "Lepidiolamprologus kamambae – A new predatory cichlid from Lake Tanganyika". African Diving Lakesite Articles. 1(1):1-24. ISBN: 978-9-1981301-0-2 (crc06158)
20-Sept.-2012 — New Tanganyika cichlidVon Ad Konings
Kullander et al. (2012) describe a new species of Lepidiolamprologus from Lake Tanganyika. The new species, L. kamambae, closely resembles L. kendalli and L. elongatus, but can be told apart from these by “a broad dark stripe on cheek”. Their color description of the preserved types mentions “…a light to dark brown blotch or wide stripe variably extending posteroventrad from orbit minimally to halfway point, maximally to contact with inner margin of preopercle”. This stripe, however, is not very distinct on the specimen photographed underwater, but that specimen looks like a “washed-out” L. kendalli and it could be a northern population of that species although it was never seen between Kala and Kamamba Island, the type locality and one of the two places the new species was seen (the other at the northern end of nearby Kerenge Island). They compared the new species with L. kendalli from Muzi but the dark blotch on the cheek of that population looks different in that of the Kala population where it is broken up in irregular lines (see accompanying photo). Extrapolating, one could imagine an incremental loss of coloration on the cheek (and other parts) with the “diagnostic” bar below the eye left in the northernmost population.
Instead of comparing the new species with similar species from the same locality, and therefore proving its valid status, Kullander and coworkers compared L. kamambae with L. elongatus from near Kabwe (about 40 km north in a straight line) and with L. mimicus from “Frontosa Reef” (about 30 km north). Both these species should be sympatric with L. kamambae and a comparison with those, or even just the fact that their existence in sympatry with the species is proved, should have been presented. It is not difficult to find morphological differences between different populations of the same species, but that doesn’t validate an assumption of a new species; sympatry with like species does.
Kullander, Sven & M. Karlsson, M. Karlsson. 2012. "Lepidiolamprologus kamambae, a new species of cichlid fish (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika". Zootaxa. (3492):30–48 (crc04564) (Kurzfassung)