Aquarist Atlas
↑ Collection form of Neolamprologus kungweensis

Lamprologus kungweensis "Kalalangabo"

Kalalangabo — kah-lah-lahn-GAH-boh (approx.)

The fish

How this cichlid is built, and everything about how it lives, eats and breeds, is shared with the species — this page doesn't repeat it.

Read the full Neolamprologus kungweensis account →

Specific to Kalalangabo

  • Collection locality & coordinates
  • Local coloration — best judged from the living-fish photo
  • Kept as a single-provenance line, never crossed with other collection points

Care facts below are the species' — shared with Neolamprologus kungweensis.

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2025
CARESNOT LISTED
Scientific size3 in8 cm total length
Temperature75–81 °F24–27 °C
pH7.5–8.5alkaline
Depth33–164 ft10–50 m
DietMicro-predator of zooplankton and small benthic invertebrates (copepods and similar), largely exposed by burrow excavation
BreedingCavity/burrow substrate spawner; eggs laid in female's burrow then often moved to male's burrow~12 (on the order of a dozen)
Sexual dimorphismYesFemale is the showier sex: yellow-beige body with orange-to-coppery belly and a crisp black-and-white dorsal blaze; males plainer and more uniformly grayish
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

The Kalalangabo population

Lamprologus kungweensis "Kalalangabo" is the Kalalangabo population of Lamprologus kungweensis, a geographic colour form from the Burundi coast of Lake Tanganyika in the far northern part of the lake. It is the same species as Lamprologus kungweensis, distinguished by its collection locality and local coloration; aquarists keep and breed it as a discrete, provenance-labelled line.

Colour reference: living Kalalangabo fish at tanganyika.si →

About the species

Neolamprologus kungweensis is a small, slender cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika that earns its keep in the lake's overlooked muddy flats, where it tunnels into the soft bottom rather than hauling itself into a snail shell like most of its dwarf relatives. It is one of a trio of "mud-tunnelling" Tanganyikan dwarves and carries an unusual quirk for a lamprologine: the female, not the male, wears the brighter colors. Often mislabelled in the aquarium trade and saddled with a contested Red List rating, it is a fish whose reputation depends heavily on who you ask.

Full Neolamprologus kungweensis account →

Sources

  1. tanganyika.si — Lamprologus kungweensis "Kalalangabo"
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Lamprologus kungweensis (species record)
  3. FishBase — Lamprologus kungweensis Poll, 1956
  4. GBIF — Lamprologus kungweensis Poll, 1956
  5. O'Reilly et al. 2003, Nature — Climate change decreases aquatic ecosystem productivity of Lake Tanganyika
  6. Cohen et al. 2016, PNAS — Climate warming reduces fish production and benthic habitat in Lake Tanganyika
  7. IUCN Red List — Lamprologus kungweensis "Kalalangabo"