Neolamprologus

Neolamprologus is a genus of cichlids endemic to eastern Africa with all but one species, Neolamprologus devosi from the Malagarasi River, occurring in Lake Tanganyika. It is the largest genus of cichlids in Lake Tanganyika and also the largest genus in the tribe Lamprologini, which includes Altolamprologus, Chalinochromis, Julidochromis, Lamprologus, Lepidiolamprologus, Telmatochromis and Variabilichromis. The latter is a monotypic genus doubtfully distinct from Neolamprologus.

Neolamprologus
Neolamprologus brichardi from Lake Tanganyika.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cichliformes
Family:	Cichlidae
Tribe:	Lamprologini
Genus:	Neolamprologus Colombé & Allgayer, 1985
Type species
Lamprologus tetracanthus Boulenger, 1899

It is already known for some time that according to mtDNA sequence analysis, this genus is very probably polyphyletic. It is likely that it will be revised eventually; if Variabilichromis is split off, at least some of the more ancient lineages currently placed in Neolamprologus are probably worthy of separation also. However, the morphological similarity and numerous undescribed species do not make analyses easier, and as with many cichlids, recent speciation and abundant hybridization seriously confound molecular studies to the point where single-gene studies or those using only mtDNA or nDNA are essentially worthless for resolving Lamprologini phylogeny.[1]

While lineages are clearly different in their morphology, habits and ecology, gene flow between genera and species is common enough due to extremely low postzygotic isolation. Males of Neolamprologus apparently have always readily and successfully mated with females of other Lamprologini they found ready to spawn: mtDNA lineages similar to other Lamprologini genera are widely encountered in species placed in Neolamprologus. And not only do such hybrids seem to be fertile at least to a limited extent in many cases, new species often appear to originate from such interbreeding.[2]

Neolamprologus cylindricus

Neolamprologus multifasciatus

Species

There are currently 46 recognized species in this genus:[3]

Neolamprologus bifasciatus Büscher, 1993 Neolamprologus boulengeri Steindachner, 1909 Neolamprologus brevis Boulenger, 1899 Neolamprologus brichardi Poll, 1974 Neolamprologus buescheri Staeck, 1983 Neolamprologus cancellatus Aibara, T. Takahashi & Nakaya, 2005 Neolamprologus caudopunctatus Poll, 1978 Neolamprologus chitamwebwai Verburg & I. R. Bills, 2007 Neolamprologus christyi Trewavas & Poll, 1952 Neolamprologus crassus Brichard, 1989 Neolamprologus cylindricus Staeck & Seegers, 1986 Neolamprologus devosi Schelly, Stiassny & Seegers, 2003 Neolamprologus falcicula Brichard, 1989 Neolamprologus fasciatus Boulenger, 1898 Neolamprologus furcifer Boulenger, 1898 Neolamprologus gracilis Brichard, 1989 Neolamprologus helianthus Büscher, 1997 Neolamprologus leleupi Poll, 1956 Neolamprologus leloupi Poll, 1948 Neolamprologus longicaudatus Nakaya & Gashagaza, 1995 Neolamprologus longior Staeck, 1980 Neolamprologus marunguensis Büscher, 1989 Neolamprologus modestus Boulenger, 1898 Neolamprologus mondabu Boulenger, 1906

Neolamprologus multifasciatus Boulenger, 1906 Neolamprologus mustax Poll, 1978 Neolamprologus niger Poll, 1956 Neolamprologus nigriventris Büscher, 1992 Neolamprologus obscurus Poll, 1978 Neolamprologus olivaceous Brichard, 1989 Neolamprologus pectoralis Büscher, 1991 Neolamprologus petricola Poll, 1949 Neolamprologus pleuromaculatus Trewavas & Poll, 1952 Neolamprologus prochilus R. M. Bailey & D. J. Stewart, 1977 Neolamprologus pulcher Trewavas & Poll, 1952 Neolamprologus savoryi Poll, 1949 Neolamprologus schreyeni Poll, 1974 Neolamprologus sexfasciatus Trewavas & Poll, 1952 Neolamprologus similis Büscher, 1992 Neolamprologus splendens Brichard, 1989 Neolamprologus tetracanthus Boulenger, 1899 (Fourspine cichlid) Neolamprologus timidus S. O. Kullander, Norén, Mi. Karlsson & Ma. Karlsson, 2014 [4] Neolamprologus toae Poll, 1949 Neolamprologus tretocephalus Boulenger, 1899 Neolamprologus variostigma Büscher, 1995 Neolamprologus ventralis Büscher, 1995 Neolamprologus walteri Verburg & I. R. Bills, 2007 Neolamprologus wauthioni Poll, 1949

Footnotes

1. Sturmbauer et al. (1994), Day et al. (2007)
2. Day et al. (2007)
3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2018). Species of Neolamprologus in FishBase. October 2018 version.
4. Kullander, S.O., Norén, M., Karlsson, M. & Karlsson, M. (2014): Description of Neolamprologus timidus, new species, and review of N. furcifer from Lake Tanganyika (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 24 (4) [2013]: 301-328.

References

• Day, Julia J.; Santini, Simona & Garcia-Moreno, Jaime (2007): Phylogenetic relationships of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid tribe Lamprologini: The story from mitochondrial DNA. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 45(2): 629–642. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.025 (HTML abstract)
• Konings, A. (1998): Tanganyikan cichlids in their natural habitat. Cichlid Press.
• Llambi, Lenny (2003): Neolamprologus pulcher "Daffodil II". Fincinnati 2003. PDF fulltext
• Sturmbauer, C.; Verheyen. E.; Meyer, A. (1994): Mitochondrial phylogeny of the Lamprologini, the major substrate spawning lineage of cichild fishes from Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa. Mol. Biol. Evol. 11(4): 691-703. PDF fulltext