Lamprologus lethops

Lamprologus lethops is the only known blind cichlid. It occurs in the lower Congo. The only known reference is in a rapids area near Bulu, west of Luozi in the province of Bas -Congo. The Congo is 45 to 150 feet deep at the site, where it has an extremely strong current.

Features

The holotype of Lamprologus lethops is only 2.6 cm long. The body height of the holotype is 17.9 % of standard length. Like most Lamprologini has Lamprologus lethops a cylindrical elongated body. The eyes are greatly reduced and overgrown with thick skin, the body non-pigmented and bright. The head is flattened; the nostrils high, fleshy and end in a well-developed tube. Both jaws are set with single-pointed, arranged in several rows of teeth. In both jaws sit in the front six enlarged, backward curved fangs. The gill rakers are thin, long and not with teeth. The lacrimal (tear leg ) are four pores of the sensory system. The scales on the sides of the body is irregular, ie the scales are not clearly identifiable, parallel rows. The scaleless area on top of the head extends rearward beyond the Dorsal approach beyond. Supraneuralia missing. The fin rays of the dorsal and anal fins take towards the rear in height increasingly. Both are scaleless and end rich in filaments pointed to the rounded, for the most part scaly tail fin.

• Fins formula: Dorsal XX / 7, Anal VI-VII/5-6, caudal 14
• Dandruff formula: SL 43-49. ( The highest number of all Lamprologus species from the Congo )