Species learning profile

Frontosa cichlid

Cyphotilapia frontosa

Frontosa cichlid (Cyphotilapia frontosa) is a freshwater fish associated with lake habitat in Africa. Adults rise from deep rocky slopes at dawn to feed.

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بحيرةCichlidae

At a glance

المياه
مياه عذبة
Habitat
بحيرة
أقصى طول
33 cm
النطاق
Africa
الفصيلة
Cichlidae
الرتبة
Cichliformes

Observe

How to identify Frontosa cichlid

  • Adults rise from deep rocky slopes at dawn to feed.
  • Guide context: lake habitat in Africa.
  • Reported maximum length: 33 cm — up to about the length of a guitar. Maximum is not the same as typical adult size.

Field note: color, size, and markings can change with age, sex, season, depth, and lighting. Use several traits together.

Place and pattern

Where it lives—and how it behaves

Habitat and range

This species is associated with lake habitat across Africa. Temperature, oxygen, depth, and shoreline cover divide a lake into very different living zones.

Behavior

Lives in social groups over deep reefs

Food-web connections

What it eats and why it matters

Diet

Fish and large invertebrates.

Ecological role

A deep-water predator unique to Lake Tanganyika.

Remember

One fact worth keeping

قد يصل طول Frontosa cichlid إلى نحو 33 سم، ويوجد غالبًا قرب بحيرة.

Think like a conservationist

A conservation lens

Healthy lake populations depend on suitable temperature and oxygen, clean spawning areas, and balanced harvest and food webs.

This habitat lens is not a current population-status assessment. Status can differ among regions and change as new assessments are published; follow the reference links and local fisheries or wildlife agencies for current decisions.

Recall

Quick knowledge check

Which habitat is most closely associated with Frontosa cichlid in this guide?

Keep exploring

References and further reading

Fishdle summarizes stable identification and ecology concepts in plain language. Taxonomy and population knowledge continue to change, so use primary assessments and regional authorities for conservation or management decisions.

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