Lamprologus lethops Roberts & Stewart, 1976
13-gru-2012 — Lamprologus lethops finally pictured alive!
By Juan Miguel Artigas Azas
The new issue of Cichlid News (v. 22, n. 1 – January 2013) brings a pleasant surprise for cichlid lovers, particularly those who specialize on African riverine species. One article by Oliver Lucanus presents the first pictures ever published of a live Lamprologus lethops, the only blind and most enigmatic of the cichlids, which inhabits in the deeper areas of the Congo River between Kinshasa and Brazzaville [Democratic Republic of Congo]. In this area the river is forced into a narrow channel and can reach up to 200 meters depth. The great volume of water pushes through at a great speed and turbulence, so much that you can’t see your hand already at 20 cm of depth. All previous efforts to bring this fish alive had failed, as most fish would die from the bends and shock produced by bringing them up after capture. At great cost and effort Oliver Lucanus has finally succeeded in the most unlikely, to take to Canada live specimen and make them thrive. Already his observations on the husbandry of this species are fascinating.
Lucanus, Oliver. 2013. "First Notes on the Husbandry of the Blind Cichlid Lamprologus lethops from the Congo River". Cichlid News Magazine. 22(1):6-11 (crc04749)