''Astatotilapia calliptera'', the eastern happy or eastern river bream, is a species of haplochromine

cichlid Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...

from southeastern Africa.

Description

The male ''Astatotilapia calliptera'' has blue lips and a dark line through its eye. It can show a reddish forehead but the body is normally yellow, although some wild populations are blue. The females are smaller than the males and are brownish silvery in colour. The maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

is .

Distribution

''Astatotilapia calliptera'' occurs in

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, () is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is ...

and its drainage, the

Shire River The Shire is the largest river in Malawi. It is the only outlet of Lake Malawi and flows into the Zambezi River in Mozambique. Its length is . The upper Shire River issues from Lake Malawi and runs approximately before it enters shallow Lake Malo ...

, and Lakes Chiuta and Chilwa. It has also been recorded from the lower

Zambezi River The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

, and in coastal rivers on the coastal plain of

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, from the Rovuma River and south as far as the Save River, This species is established as a non-native, introduced species in

Broward County Broward County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Florida, United States, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the List of the most ...

and

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 24th-most populous in the United States, wi ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States.

Habitat and ecology

''Astatotilapia calliptera'' prefers shallow water with a sand substrate with aquatic vegetation such as species of '' Vallisneria'', where it can be abundant. It is most common in the lower reaches of rivers and weedy flood lagoons. It is an omnivore and much of its diet consists of

detritus In biology, detritus ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...

and

phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater Aquatic ecosystem, ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek language, Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), mea ...

; they will also eat invertebrates, algae and smaller fishes. They are

mouthbrooders Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a va ...

in which the female lays her eggs on a hard substrate and then they are inseminated by the male before the female takes them into her mouth where they stay for 12-14 days before hatching. The young are then guarded by their mother for a further 5-6 days, using her mouth as a refuge when they perceive danger.

Aquarium trade

''Astatotilapia calliptera'' was one of the first cichlid species found in the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

trade. A number of colour varieties are available.

References

{{Taxonbar, From=Q293154 calliptera Fish of Lake Malawi Fish of Malawi Fish of Mozambique Freshwater fish of Tanzania Fish of Zimbabwe Taxa named by Albert Günther Fish described in 1894