Coptodon rendalli
| Coptodon rendalli | ||||||||||||
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Coptodon rendalli |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Coptodon rendalli | ||||||||||||
| ( Boulenger , 1897) |
Coptodon rendalli is a species of fish from the cichlid family (Cichlidae), which is very widespread in eastern and southern Africa.
distribution
The species occurs in the river basin of the upper Congo , in the river basin of the Kasai , in Lake Tanganyika , Lake Malawi , Zambezi and the coastal regions from the Zambezi estuary to Natal as well as in Limpopo , Okavango and Kunene . It was introduced as a food fish in numerous countries.
features
Coptodon rendalli becomes a maximum of 45 cm long, reaches a maximum weight of 2.5 kg and has a high-backed, laterally flattened body. The body height is 42.2 to 49.4% of the standard length , the head length 31.1 to 37.5% of the standard length. The top of the head is convex, sometimes also concave in very large specimens due to the constant growth of the mouth region. The mouth is covered with short, wide and thick, two-pointed teeth. The lower pharyngealia is as wide as it is long. Your toothed rear area is longer than the front part. On the lower branch of the first gill arch there are 7 to 10 gill trap rays .
The head and trunk are dark olive-green on top and paler on the sides. As with all members of the genus Coptodon , the chest and abdomen are usually reddish in color. There are some transverse ligaments on the flanks. The olive-green dorsal fin has a reddish edge and white to gray spots on its soft-radiating section.
- Fins formula : dorsal XIV – XVII / 10–13, anal III / 9–10.
- Scale formula : SL 28–32, 3–5 rows of scales on the sides of the head.
- Vertebra: 29.
Way of life
Coptodon rendalli is found mainly on river banks, in oxbow lakes and swamps, it prefers densely vegetated areas and calm water with low currents. The species has a high temperature tolerance (8 - 41 ° C) and can also tolerate brackish water with a salt content of up to 1.9%. Young fish feed on plankton , adult animals, like all members of the Coptodon genus , are predominantly herbivores and eat algae and higher plants, as well as insects and small crustaceans .
Systematics
The species was described in 1897 by the British ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger as Chromis rendalli and later assigned to the genus Tilapia , subgenus Coptodon . The subgenus Coptodon was raised to genus rank in early 2013.
literature
- Melanie Stiassny, Guy Teugels & Carl D. Hopkins: The Fresh and Brackish Water Fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa, Volume 1. ISBN 9789074752206
Individual evidence
- ^ Andreas R. Dunz, Ulrich K. Schliewen: Molecular phylogeny and revised classification of the haplotilapiine cichlid fishes formerly referred to as “Tilapia”. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2013.03.015
Web links
- Coptodon rendalli on Fishbase.org (English)