''Citharinus citharus'', commonly called moonfish or mleke, is a species of lutefish from

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. ''C. citharus'' has detritivorous habits leading to its stomach containing high volumes of indigestible materials such as chitin, cellulose, and lignin. TThis species has adapted to digest protein and organic matter at a fast rate so that it can reach its nutritional needs while having a high concentration of indigestible material in its stomach.

Subspecies

*'' Citharinus citharus citharus'' nominate subspecies Status iucn VU icon

in Uganda *'' Citharinus citharus intermedius'' Worthington, 1932 Status iucn LC icon

References

citharus ''Citharus linguatula'', the spotted flounder or Atlantic spotted flounder, is a species of fish in the Citharidae, a family of flounders. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean (off northwest Africa) and the Mediterranean Sea, where it is f ...

Fish of Africa Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire Fish described in 1809 {{Characiformes-stub