''Coptodon'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
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 ...
s native to fresh,
brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
and coastal marine waters in Africa with ''C. zillii'' also found in the Middle East. It is the only genus in the
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
Coptodonini. Formerly included in ''
Tilapia
Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...
'', this genus and tribe was separated in 2013.
[Dunz, A.R. & Schliewen, U.K. (2013): Molecular phylogeny and revised classification of the haplotilapiine cichlid fishes formerly referred to as ''“Tilapia”''. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Available online 29 March 2013 doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.03.015''] Despite the change in genus, ''Coptodon'' spp. are still referred to by the common name
tilapia
Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...
. Several species are important in local fisheries and a few are
aquacultured.
Appearance
Depending on the exact species, the maximum length of ''Coptodon'' ranges from ; the smallest is ''C. snyderae'', which also is the smallest tilapia.
Although the individual species typically have different nonbreeding and breeding colors, the sexes are alike. Some of the species are very similar and difficult to distinguish from each other.
Behavior
Unlike the well-known oreochromine tilapia that are mouthbrooders, ''Coptodon'' spp. are substrate brooders. In most species, the parents excavate a "nest" in the bottom, ranging from a depression to actual tunnels, but a few species use surfaces of stones or sunken wood. The eggs are laid in the nest, and the eggs and fry are guarded by both parents.[
''Coptodon'' spp. mostly feed on plant material (both ]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 ...
and higher plant
Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified tissue ( ...
s) and 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 ...
with smaller quantities of invertebrates, but in Lake Bermin and Lake Ejagham, a level of segregation has occurred among the species, including specialists that mostly feed on sponge
Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...
s (''C. gutturosa'' and ''C. spongotroktis''), small fish (''C. ejagham''), or zooplankton
Zooplankton are the heterotrophic component of the planktonic community (the " zoo-" prefix comes from ), having to consume other organisms to thrive. Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents. Consequent ...
(''C. fusiforme'').[
]
Conservation status
''C. rendalli'' and ''C. zillii'' have been introduced widely outside their native ranges, and are considered invasive, but most remaining members of the genus (including four endemics in Lake Ejagham and nine in Lake Bermin) have small ranges, and many species are seriously threatened.[ Considered ]data deficient
A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...
by the IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
, the virtually unknown ''C. ismailiaensis'' may be synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
of the equally poorly known ''Oreochromis ismailiaensis'',
Species
Currently, 31 species are recognized in this genus:[
* '' Coptodon bakossiorum'' ( Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992)
* '' Coptodon bemini'' ( Thys van den Audenaerde, 1972)
* '' Coptodon bythobates'' ( Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992)
* '' Coptodon cameronensis'' (]Holly
''Ilex'' () or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
, 1927)
* '' Coptodon camerunensis'' ( Lönnberg, 1903)
* '' Coptodon coffea'' ( Thys van den Audenaerde, 1970)
* '' Coptodon congica'' (Poll
Poll, polled, or polling may refer to:
Forms of voting and counting
* Poll, a formal election
** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts
** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions
** Polling pla ...
& Thys van den Audenaerde, 1960)
* '' Coptodon dageti'' (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1971)
* '' Coptodon deckerti'' (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1967)
* '' Coptodon discolor'' ( Günther, 1903)
* '' Coptodon ejagham'' ( Dunz & Schliewen, 2010)[
* '' Coptodon flava'' (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992)
* '' Coptodon fusiforme'' (Dunz & Schliewen, 2010)][
* '' Coptodon guineensis'' (Günther, 1862) (Guinean tilapia)
* '' Coptodon gutturosa'' (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992)
* '' Coptodon imbriferna'' (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992)
* '' Coptodon ismailiaensis'' ( Mekkawy, 1995)
* '' Coptodon konkourensis'' (Dunz & Schliewen, 2012)
* '' Coptodon kottae'' ( Lönnberg, 1904)
* '' Coptodon louka'' (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1969)
* '' Coptodon margaritacea'' ( Boulenger, 1916)
* '' Coptodon nigrans'' (Dunz & Schliewen, 2010)][
* '' Coptodon nyongana'' (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1971)
* '' Coptodon rendalli'' (Boulenger, 1897) (redbreast tilapia)
* '' Coptodon rheophila'' ( Daget, 1962)
* '' Coptodon snyderae'' (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992)
* '' Coptodon spongotroktis'' (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992)
* '' Coptodon tholloni'' ( Sauvage, 1884)
* '' Coptodon thysi'' (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992)
* '' Coptodon walteri'' (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1968)
* '' Coptodon zillii'' ( Gervais, 1848) (redbelly tilapia)
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q14773761
Pseudocrenilabrinae