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Tanganyika clown

Fish

The Tanganyika clown, Eretmodus cyanostictus, is a small freshwater fish in the family Cichlidae, also known as the striped goby cichlid. It lives along the shorelines of Lake Tanganyika; Wikipedia places it on the Tanzanian and Zambian shores, and FishBase describes it as endemic to the southern part of the lake, from Kipili in Tanzania to Moliro in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Males and unsexed fish reach about 9 centimetres in total length. FishBase diagnoses the species by a terminal mouth and a number of bright blue spots on the head and upper half of the body, with about five light bars on the lower flank. It occurs in rocky areas, in the turbulent and highly oxygenated shallows of the surf zone, where it scrapes algae from the rocks. Both parents brood the eggs and larvae in the mouth. The IUCN Red List assessed it as Least Concern in 2025, and it is traded commercially for aquariums.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Herbivore 1
System (Realm)
Freshwater 1
Relationship to People
Kept as Pets 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Conservation Status
Least Concern 1
Body Size Band
Small 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Cichlidae, Taxa
Source Tanganyika clown (Wikipedia)

In Biome

Freshwater, Biomes
Source FishBase: Eretmodus cyanostictus (FishBase summary)

In Ecosystem

Source Tanganyika clown (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Tanganyika clown (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
It is found in the Tanzanian and Zambian shorelines of Lake Tanganyika.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Tanganyika clown (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
It is found in the Tanzanian and Zambian shorelines of Lake Tanganyika.
Sources
1. FishBase: Eretmodus cyanostictus (FishBase summary)
FishBase
  • IUCN Red List Status
    Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 25 February 2025
  • Biology
    Feeds on algae which are scraped from the rocks
  • Environment
    Freshwater; benthopelagic
  • Human uses
    Aquarium: commercial
  • Size
    Max length : 9.0 cm TL male/unsexed
View the Source
Tanganyika clown (Wikipedia)
Lead
Quote, Lead
It is found in the Tanzanian and Zambian shorelines of Lake Tanganyika.
View the Source
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