Neolamprologus caudopunctatus (Poll, 1978)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Neolamprologus caudopunctatus is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it occurs along the Zambian shores.
It has a silvery-beige colored body, accented only by a distinctive, goldish-orange dorsal fin and blue eyes. Its tail fin and flanks have pearly spots that are visible if the light hits them at the correct angle. These spots that spatter the tails of both males and females have earned it the name caudopunctatus, meaning "spotted tail."
Despite being a monomorphic species, there are a few subtle traits that can help distinguish males from females. Males usually attain a length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in), while females are significantly smaller, at 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in). Males also tend to show a slightly more intense coloration.
Wikipedia contributors, Neolamprologus caudopunctatus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:19:03.555175+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Neolamprologus caudopunctatus (Poll, 1978)
- Name authority
- (Poll, 1978)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Neolamprologus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCichliformes
- familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyPseudocrenilabrinae Fowler, 1934
- genusNeolamprologus Colombé & Allgayer, 1985
- speciesNeolamprologus caudopunctatus (Poll, 1978)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Neolamprologus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Neolamprologus brevis (Boulenger, 1899) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus brichardi (Poll, 1974) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus buescheri (Staeck, 1983) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus cancellatus Aibara, Takahashi & Nakaya, 2005 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus christyi (Trewavas & Poll, 1952) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus cylindricus Staeck & Seegers, 1986 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus furcifer (Boulenger, 1898) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus helianthus Büscher, 1997 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus modestus (Boulenger, 1898) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus mustax (Poll, 1978) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus olivaceous (Brichard, 1989) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neolamprologus pectoralis Büscher, 1991 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lamprologus caudopunctatus Poll, 1978 Poll, 1978 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1012642 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:46K2J. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.