Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Xenotilapia: Greek, xenos = strange + Bechuana, African native thiape = fish (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: George Albert Boulenger (1858–1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist at the British Museum, London. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Poll.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 7.5 - 8.5; dH range: 20 - ?. Tropical; 23°C - 26°C (Ref. 2060); 3°S - 9°S
Africa: Endemic to Lake Tanganyika.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.3 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5717)
Adults are found over sandy bottoms often in pairs. Form schools. Feed on copepods and small shrimps (Ref. 6770). Exhibit biparental mouthbrooding of the young (Ref. 86760).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
After the male has fertilized the eggs the female mouthbroods them for 12 days after which they are transferred to the male for an additional 18-20 days of mouthbrooding (Ref. 2060). In one study, larvae of up to 0.99 cm TL are mouthbrooded by female parents 6.8 to 7.5 cm SL in size (Ref. 86760).
Maréchal, C. and M. Poll, 1991. Xenotilapia. p. 537-543. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, G.G. Teugels and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 4. (Ref. 5717)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01445 (0.00674 - 0.03099), b=2.99 (2.82 - 3.16), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.38 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Fec=20).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).