Redbreast tilapia

The redbreast tilapia, Coptodon rendalli, is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is found widely in the southern half of Africa. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes and freshwater marshes.[3] It is known as the redbreast kurper in South Africa.[4]

Not to be confused with redbelly tilapia.

Redbreast tilapia

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Coptodon
Species:
C. rendalli
Binomial name
Coptodon rendalli
(Boulenger, 1897)
Synonyms[2]
  • Chromis rendalli Boulenger, 1897
  • Tilapia rendalli (Boulenger, 1897)
  • Tilapia sexfasciata Pellegrin, 1900
  • Tilapia latifrons Boulenger, 1906
  • Tilapia christyi Boulenger, 1915
  • Tilapia sykesii Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917
  • Tilapia kirkhami Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917
  • Tilapia druryi Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917
  • Tilapia mackeani Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917
  • Tilapia swierstrae Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917
  • Tilapia gefuensis Thys van den Audenaerde, 1964

Distribution

The species is found in the drainage basin of the upper Congo River, in the drainage basin of the Kasai River, in Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, Zambezi river and in the costal regions of the Zambezi outlet to KwaZulu-Natal, as well as in the Limpopo River, the Okavango River, and the Cunene River. They've been established as edible fish in several countries.

Description

Coptodon rendalli grow to a maximum length of 45 centimeters, reach a maximum weight of 2.5 kilograms, and possess a high-backed, sideways oblate body. Their body height is 42.2 to 49.4% of their standard length, their head length is 31.1% to 37.5% of their standard length. The top of their head is convex, it sometimes will be concave in large specimen due to the continued growth of their mouth region. Their mouth is studded with short, wide, and thick, two-pointed teeth. Their lower Pharyngeal jaw is as wide as it is long. It's toothed back area is longer than its front area. Seven to 10 gill raker streams are located on the lower branch of their first gill arch.

Head and rump are olive-green on their top and paler on their sides. Like all members of the genus Coptodon their breast and belly are often tinted red. Their flanks display a few lateral ligaments. Their olive-green dorsal fin possess a red rim and white to grey spots on their soft streamed section.

  • Fin formula: dorsal XIV–XVII/10–13, anal III/9–10
  • Scale formula: SL 28–32, 3–5 rows of scales on the sides of their head
  • Vertebrae: 29

Behaviour

Coptodon rendalli mainly live in river banks, in oxbow lakes, and swamps. They prefer densely vegetated areas and still waters with small amounts of current. The species has a high temperature tolerance (8 – 41 °C) and also withstands brackish water with a salt content of up to 1.9%. Their young fish live of plankton, grown members of the species are, like all members of the genus Coptodon, primarily herbivores and eat algae as well as taller plants, as well as insects and smaller crustaceans.

Classification

The species was described in 1897 by the Belgian-British ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger as Chromis rendalli and later classified as a member of the genus Tilapia, sub-genus Coptodon. The sub-genus Coptodon was elevated to a genus in early 2013.[5] The specific name honours the British zoologist Percy Rendall (1861-1948), the collector of the type[6] from the upper Shire River in British Central Africa.[7]

Literature
  • Melanie Stiassny, Guy Teugels & Carl D. Hopkins: The Fresh and Brackish Water Fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa, Band 1. ISBN 9789074752206[8]
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References
  1. Konings, A.; Awaïss, A.; Azeroual, A.; et al. (2019). "Coptodon rendalli (amended version of 2018 assessment)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T60690A155041001. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T60690A155041001.en. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Coptodon rendalli" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. A. Awaïss; A. Azeroual; A. Getahun; M. Hanssens; P. Lalèyè; B. Marshall; T. Moelants; G. Ntakimazi & D. Tweddle (2010). "Tilapia rendalli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. Big Bass
  5. Dunz, Andreas R.; Schliewen, Ulrich K. (July 2013). "Molecular phylogeny and revised classification of the Haplotilapiine Cichlid fishes formerly referred to as "Tilapia"". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 68 (1): 64–80. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.03.015. PMID 23542002.
  6. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (2 October 2019). "Order CICHLIFORMES: Family CICHLIDAE: Subfamily PSEUDOCRENILABRINAE (a-g)". ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  7. Eschmeyer, W. N.; R. Fricke & R. van der Laan (eds.). "Coptodon species". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  8. Poissons d'eaux douces et saumâtres de basse Guinée, ouest de l'Afrique centrale = The fresh and brackish water fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa. Stiassny, Melanie L. J., Teugels, Guy G., Hopkins, Carl D., American Museum of Natural History. Paris, France: Institut de recherche pour le développement. 2007. ISBN 9782709916202. OCLC 216917073.CS1 maint: others (link)


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