Redbreast tilapia

Coptodon during alli

Coptodon during alli is a species of fish family of cichlids ( Cichlidae ), which is very widespread in eastern and southern Africa.

Dissemination

The species occurs in the basin of the Upper Congo, in the basin of the Kasai, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, Zambezi and the coastal regions of the Zambezi delta to Natal and Limpopo, Okavango and Cunene ago. In many countries, it was introduced as a food fish.

Features

Coptodon during alli is more than 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 standard length, head length from 31.1 to 37.5 % of standard length. The top of the head is convex, sometimes in very large specimens due to the continuous growth of the mouth region also concave. The mouth is covered with short, wide and thick, bicuspid teeth. The lower Pharyngealia is as wide as long. Your teeth on rear portion is longer than the part located at the front. On the lower branch of the first gill arch are 7 to 10 gill Reuse rays.

Head and trunk are on top of dark olive-green and pale at the sides. As with all members of the genus Coptodon chest and abdomen are usually reddish in color. On the flanks show some transverse bands. The olive - green dorsal fin has a red border and white to gray spots on her soft-rayed section.

• Fins formula: Dorsal XIV-XVII/10-13, Anal III/9-10.
• Dandruff formula: SL 28-32, 3-5 rows of scales on the sides of the head.
• Eddy: 29

Way of life

Coptodon during alli is found mainly along riverbanks, in bayous and swamps, he prefers densely vegetated areas and calm water with low flow. The type having a high temperature tolerance ( 8-41 ° C), and also withstand brackish water with a salt content of up to 1.9%. Young fish feed on plankton, adult animals are, like all members of the genus Coptodon, predominantly herbivores and eat algae and higher plants, besides also insects and small crustaceans. Coptodon during alli is considered excellent food fish.

System

The species was described in 1897 as Chromis during alli by the British ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger and later assigned to the genus Tilapia, subgenus Coptodon. The subgenus Coptodon was elevated to the rank of a genus in early 2013.