A cichlid was named after JBL

Following a snail and a species of prawn from Sulawesi, a very beautiful cichlid from Africa has now also been named in honour of JBL. The two scientists and cichlid experts from Austria, Mag. Dr Anton Lamboj and Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr rer. nat. Stephan Koblmüller, have named the fish in recognition of JBL’s many years of support for their research. Rubricatochromis jebeli now bears the name ‘JBL’, modified only slightly for ease of pronunciation.

For decades, the only species known from Central Africa was the Red Cichlid, then known as Hemichromis bimaculatus. In 2022, based on DNA sequencing, this single species was split into two genera: Rubricatochromis and Hemichromis. Evolutionarily speaking, the split between the two genera occurred as long as 6–12 million years ago. In September 2026, four new species were then described within the genus Rubricatochromis, one of which was R. jebeli. The beautifully coloured cichlids R. jebeli are endemic to the rainforest streams of the West African state of Guinea.

The whole JBL team would like to express their heartfelt thanks for this honour!

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