''Tropheus'' is a small genus of at least six species of cichlids endemic to

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

. The genus is widespread across all regions of Lake Tanganyika, from Burundi in the north to Zambia in the south. Males and females are relatively similar in color, with only subtle sexual dimorphism in the form of the male's larger size. All species are maternal

mouthbrooders Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a va ...

, with the females caring for their eggs and fry in their mouths; this characteristic provides their generic name, ''Tropheus'', which comes from the Greek '' trophos'', which means "to nurse" or, according to Boulenger, "one who rears, brings up, educates". The genus is fished lightly by the local population, but has never become a staple food fish due to its relatively small size and its habitat, which enables it to dart between rocks when threatened. Most species occur along the coastal fringes of the lake at depths less than 3 m. These rocky shores, with numerous rocky outcroppings and boulder formations, form a habitat similar to many of the

mbuna Mbuna (pronounced Mmm-boo - nah ) is the common name for a large group of African cichlids from Lake Malawi, and are members of the haplochromine family. The name ''mbuna'' means "rockfish" in the language of the Tonga people of Malawi.Loiselle ...

cichlids of Lake Malawi. This habitat provides shelter, and due to the shallow depth and the long hours of strong sunlight, heavy algal growth on which they feed. The only ''Tropheus'' species to dwell further out and deeper in the lake is ''Tropheus duboisi'', which in general inhabits deeper regions of the lake down to around 15–20 m. All species are algal grazers and have underslung mouths adapted to rasping

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

and microinvertebrates from submerged rocks. The genus is relatively popular with aquarium hobbyists due to the beautiful markings and interesting behavior. ''Tropheus moorii'' in particular has become something of a cult fish within the hobby, in spite of the difficulties involved in keeping species of this genus in captivity.

Species

Six recognized species are in this genus: * ''

Tropheus annectens ''Tropheus annectens'' is a species of cichlid endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous t ...

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858–1 ...

, 1900 * ''

Tropheus brichardi ''Tropheus brichardi'' is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all ca ...

'' Nelissen & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1975 * ''

Tropheus duboisi ''Tropheus duboisi'', the white spotted cichlid, is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It can reach a length of . Distribution and habitat The species is found only in Lake Tanganyika, restricted to rocky substrates (rubble or sl ...

'' Marlier, 1959 (white spotted cichlid) * ''

Tropheus kasabae ''Tropheus kasabae'' is a species of cichlid endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to ...

'' Nelissen, 1977 * '' Tropheus moorii'' Boulenger, 1898 (blunthead cichlid) * ''

Tropheus polli ''Tropheus polli'' is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it is only known from the central eastern portion of the coast in areas with rocky substrates. This species can reach a total length of . It can also be found in the ...

'' G. S. Axelrod, 1977

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q133300 Tropheini Cichlid genera Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger