Cyphotilapia is a small genus of African cichlids endemic to Lake Tanganyika, with C. frontosa being roughly confined to the northern half of the lake and C. gibberosa roughly to the southern half.

[1] They have a distinctly banded pattern, bulbous foreheads when mature and can reach up to 33 cm (1.1 feet) in length.

[1][2] These are a mouth-brooding cichlid with a rather small batch of fry each spawn.

These are slow-growing fish, which take up to 6 years to reach sexual maturity.

[citation needed] There are currently two recognized species in this genus:[2]