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Teleostei (teleosts) > Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) > Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: nigrans: The specific epithet, nigrans, is a Latin adjective, meaning dark(ly) coloured (Ref. 85854).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical

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Africa: Lake Ejagham in Cameroon (Ref. 85854).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.3 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 85854)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 14 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 9. Diagnosis: Coptodon nigrans differs from all Tilapia sensu lato, and Coptodon, except for a few members, in quadricuspid to pentacuspid posterior pharyngeal teeth on lower pharyngeal jaw; quadricuspid teeth are known from C. tholloni, C. cameronensis, C. dageti, C. congica, C. deckerti, and partially from C. ejagham (Ref. 85854). It differs from C. cameronensis, C. ismailiaensis and C. dageti in longer lower jaw, 13.9-17.3% of standard length vs. 9.6-13.2%; from C. tholloni in longer snout length, 15.8-18.2% of standard length vs. 11.7-14.6%; from C. congica in lesser body depth, 34.9-40.2% of standard length vs. 41.5-49.2%; and from C. kottae in narrower interorbital width, 10.0-11.8% of standard length vs. 12.4-14.0% (Ref. 85854). Differences to C. deckerti are based on a combination of morphometric, life history, genetic and ecological data, e.g. in longer snout length, 15.8-18.2% vs. 12.7-15.6%, by breeding exclusively in excavated caves below 5 m water depth, vs. always breeding above 2 m; the smallest reproductvely active specimens of C. nigrans are larger than largest reproductively active C. deckerti specimen (Ref. 85854). it differs from C. ejagham in dark square-shaped blotches at base of each flank scale, filled or with a light coloured window at centre of blotch, vs. flank scales with a dark scale margin and a light centre, especially on scales below lateral line (Ref. 85854).

This species breeds exclusively in excavated caves below 5 m depth (Ref. 85854).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Kullander, Sven O. | Collaborators

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. (Ref. 93285)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Critically Endangered (CR) (B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)); Date assessed: 09 March 2023

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01862 (0.00830 - 0.04177), b=3.01 (2.82 - 3.20), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.6 ±0.1 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).

Coptodon nigrans (Dunz & Schliewen, 2010)