The Three-Striped Haplotaxodon (Haplotaxodon trifasciatus) is a little-known freshwater fish in the cichlid family.

The Three-Striped Haplotaxodon is silver with three faint stripes which darken as the fish ages. It also develops a dark spot on the base of its tail. It has large, bulging eyes to see in the dark waters of the lake.

Three-Striped Haplotaxodon

It measures about 12 centimetres (5 inches) long.

The Three-Striped Haplotaxodon is native to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. The lake has borders with four countries in east Africa: Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Zambia. It prefers deep freshwater.

It swims in large schools to feed on plankton and insect larvae.

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM