Coptodon rendalli
No common name
Collection Details
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Cichlidae (Cichlids)
Coptodon
Coptodon rendalli
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Diagnosis: A large, deep-bodied species with a steep head profile, narrow head and small mouth; often appearing brownish with a white belly, some individuals have bright red bellies (Ref. 118638). The sexes look very similar, although males are usually larger (Ref. 118638). Very difficult to distinguish from Coptodon zillii, but C. rendalli usually have a steeper head profile and less prominent vertical bars; in East Africa, the tailfin of C. rendalli is often divided into a brownish upper part and yellowish lower part, whereas that of C. zillii is uniform and spotted (Ref. 118638).
Description: moderately deep-bodied, ovoid shaped; head relatively short; mouth small (Ref. 52307).
Colouration: head and body mid to dark olive-green dorsally, paling over the flanks (Ref. 4967, 34290). Body usually with vertical bars only (Ref. 4967, 34290), 6-8 on head and body (Ref. 52307). Scales with a dark basal crescent (Ref. 4967, 34290, 52307). Dorsal fin olive-green with a thin red margin and white to grey dark oblique spots on the soft rays; caudal fin spotted on dorsal half and red or yellow on ventral half (Ref. 4967, 34290). Lower lips, throat, lower parts of cheeks and opercles, breast and belly, as well as some lower parts of caudal peduncle, light to deep red (depending on behavioral situation) in most, but not all populations; anal fin reddish (Ref. 52307). Striking features: none.
Distribution
Africa: from the middle Congo River basin (Kasai drainage and between the Lomami and Kisangani) up to the upper Lualaba and the Bangweulu area (Ref. 55074). Also in Lake Malawi, Zambesi, coastal areas from Zambesi Delta to Natal, Okavango and Cunene (Ref. 5163) as well as the Limpopo, Malagarasi (Ref. 55074) and Lake Tanganyika (Ref. 55074, 74387). Also present in the Cuanza and Catumbela rivers in Angola (Ref. 11970). Introduced in Lake Kivu, escaped from fish ponds (Ref. 107916). Introduced elsewhere usually for weed control and aquaculture. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. benthopelagic. depth range 3-8 m. Found in: streams, lakes, mangroves.
Biology
It prefers quiet, well-vegetated water along river littorals or backwaters, floodplains and swamps. They are tolerant of a wide range of temperatures (8-41°C) and salinities (Ref. 3, 7248, 118638). Forms schools; is mainly diurnal. Juveniles feed on plankton (Ref. 52307); adults feed on leaves and stems of underwater plants as well as algae, and vegetative detritus (Ref. 52307), insects and crustaceans. A substrate spawner; male and female form pairs to rear the young; eggs and larvae are usually guarded in a steep-side circular pit dug in the mud (Ref. 118638). Occasionally it spawns in large cave-like structures (Ref. 52307), e.g. in Lake Malawi they are reported to dig a network of tunnels at some sites (Ref. 118638). Make excellent eating (Ref. 5214). Widely exploited in fisheries and aquaculture (Ref. 118638).
Max length: 45.0 cm TL; max weight: 2500 g; max age: 7 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters). Prefers a sloping spawning ground near the marginal fringe of vegetation (Ref. 3). Builds nest in shallow water where both parents guard the eggs and young.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2018-06-20. Resilience: Medium (K=0.13-0.18; tmax=7).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Philippart, J.-C. and J.-C. Ruwet (1982) Ecology and distribution of tilapias. p. 15-60. In R.S.V. Pullin and R.H. Lowe-McConnell (eds.) The biology and culture of tilapias. ICLARM Conf. Proc. 7.
Wohlfarth, G.W. and G. Hulata (1983) Applied genetics of tilapias. ICLARM Stud. Rev. 6 (2nd edition), 26 p.
Lowe-McConnell, R.H. (1982) Tilapias in fish communities. p. 83-113. In R.S.V. Pullin and R. H. Lowe-McConnell (eds.) The biology and culture of tilapias. ICLARM Conf. Proc. 7. 432 p.
Pullin, R.S.V. (ed.) (1988) Tilapia genetic resources for aquaculture. ICLARM Conf. Proc. 16, 108 p.
Eccles, D.H. (1992) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Tanzania. Prepared and published with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (project URT/87/016). FAO, Rome. 145 p.
Batchelor, G.R. (1978) Aspects of the biology of Tilapia rendalli in the Doorndraai Dam, Transvaal. J. Limnol. Soc. S. Afr. 4(1):65-68.
Anonymous (1994) Atlas pesquero de México. Instituto Nacional de la Pesca. 234 p.
van Oijen, M.J.P. (1995) Appendix I. Key to Lake Victoria fishes other than haplochromine cichlids. p. 209-300. In F. Witte and W.L.T. van Densen (eds.) Fish stocks and fisheries of Lake Victoria. A handbook for field observations. Samara Publishing Limited, Dyfed, Great Britain.
Mundy, B.C. (2005) Checklist of the fishes of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Mus. Bull. Zool. (6):1-704.
Dunz, A.R. and U.K. Schliewen (2013) Molecular phylogeny and revised classification of the haplotilapiine cichlid fishes formerly referred to as "Tilapia". Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 68(1):64-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.03.015
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