This is smallest known Lethrinops species. In the wild, males construct elaborate bowers consisting of 2-25 mud cones with an approximate overall diameter of 1 meter. In the center of this bower is yet another cone made from sand (not mud), alongside which he digs a spawning pit 4-5 inches across. This cichlid consumes zooplankton, crustaceans, and even diatoms. Like all Lethrinops species, L. auritus hunts by shoveling and filtering the substrate (mud-sand mixture) for food particles.