Chambo/Lidole Tilapia Oreochromis lidole

Chambo Tilapia are three closely related cichlids (subgenus Nyasalapia) native to Africa's Lakes Malawi, Malombe and a couple of adjacent crater lakes. All three (lidole, squamipinnis, karongae) are critically endangered through over-fishing and O. lidole may even now be extinct in the wild.

Diet is mainly plankton and detritus. Males grow substantially larger than females, to some 36cm long, and develop a dark grey uniform colour with white fin edges. Females and juveniles are a lighter silver with a few dark, vertical stripes. It is not possible to distinguish females/juveniles by each species visually, nor the breeding males of the Lidole and Karonga Tilapias.

Pairs build a shallow nest and engage in a T-shaped mating dance. Males have extremely long "genital tassels" which ressemble fish eggs so that the mouth-brooding female attempts to collect them in her mouth, allowing fertilisation of her eggs.