It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika and its outflow, the Lukuga River[2] and is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Max Poll discovered that the adult fish inhabit the pelagic zone and grow to 106mm.

The adults are frequently caught in association with kapenta, the freshwater clupeids of Lake Tanganyika.

In the light of the fishing lamps C. minutus and kapenta are readily identifiable from their behaviour.

[1] The generic name is derived from the name of the Asian genus Chela with the addition of aethiops in reference to the African origin of the genus and so means Chela from Africa, the specific name minutus refers to this species small size.