The Sardine Cichlid is also known as Leptosoma, Utinta or Blue Flash Cypricichlid. These fish are endemic to Lake Tanganyika, one of the African rift lakes. This species tends to inhabit open water in intermediate zones where the substrate is rocky or sandy. Leptosomas come in five different color variants which can be further divided into both blue- and yellow-tailed forms. This species earned the nickname Sardine Cichlid from their elongated, sardine-like body shape. Males of the species typically exhibit uniform body color ranging from blue to gold while females are usually closer to beige.