It is found on the western shore of the lake, between Tembwe (Deux) and Kanoni in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Copepods, ostracods, and insect larvae, with filamentous algae and sand, have been found among their stomach contents.

The subadults are found in small groups with the larger individuals forming pairs,[3] which defend a territory on the upper face of a large rock.

[1] The type specimen was found in 1989[4] by Heinz H. Büscher on a dive off the western shore of Lake Tanganyika, 40 km (25 miles) south of Moba.

[4] This species has a restricted geographical range but still has two colour variants: at the type locality of Tembwe Deux, they have a dorsal fin that is brightly marked with black and white spots while to the north, the adult fishes have yellow dorsal fins which lack black markings.