Fiveblotch Jewelfish: Facts & Habitat

About Fiveblotch Jewelfish

Hemichromis elongatus, the banded jewel cichlid, is a freshwater fish found in the Okavango River and upper Zambezi River. The fish also occurs in the Congo River system and in West Africa.

IntroducedFresh1 states

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Hemichromis elongatus (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Identification and appearance

Loiselle (1979) revised the genus. Distinguishing characteristics and illustrations were given by Loiselle (1979) and Skelton (1993). Keys were included in Loiselle (1992) and in Skelton (1993). Color illustrations or photographs were provided by Axelrod et al. (1985), Axelrod (1993), Skelton (1993), and Linke and Staeck (1994).

Native range

Western Africa. Widespread in Zaire basin to tropical West Africa, and in Okavango and upper Zambezi systems (Skelton 1993; Linke and Staeck 1994).

Introduction history

Probable aquarium release.

Range

Where it lives

100%of mapped records

Share of 3 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 1 states.

Share of records by state

Hawaii100%

Habitat

Water and movement

Water: WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
USGS NAS habitat: Freshwater
US status: Exotic — the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database lists it as introduced from outside North America.
Migration: Not migratory

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Hemichromis
Species: Hemichromis elongatus
ITIS TSN: 553307
WoRMS AphiaID: 1021151
GBIF key: 2371378

Common questions about Fiveblotch Jewelfish

What is the scientific name of Fiveblotch Jewelfish?

The scientific name is Hemichromis elongatus, in the family Cichlidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Fiveblotch Jewelfish live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Fiveblotch Jewelfish been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 1 states, with the most records in Hawaii. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives