Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) >
Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Astatotilapia: Greek, astato = unstable + Bechuana, African native thiape = fish (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical
Africa: Lake Boukou, Ounianga Serir, in Chad (Ref. 112399). Also Lake Chad and its basin in Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Central African Republic (Ref. 112399).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 112399)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 13 - 14; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 9. Diagnosis: A large haplochromine cichlid fish characterized by the following combination of characters: a black bar between the eye and the corner of mouth, rounded orange spots on the anal fin in adult males, scales ctenoid, outer jaw teeth bicuspid, inner teeth tricuspid, 16 scales around the peduncle, no papillose swelling on either side of pharynx, lower limb of first gill arch with 7-8 gill rakers, dorsal fin with 13-14 spines and 9-11 soft rays, anal fin with 3 spines and 8-9 soft rays, 29 or 30 lateral line scales, lower pharyngeal dentition with enlarged molariform teeth in the central rows (Ref. 112399).
Found in Lake Boukou with emergent aquatic vegetation, mainly Cyperus laevigatus, Typha australis and Phragmites australis, covering approximately the two-thirds of the lake's surface; submerged macrophyte beds include Potamogeton (Ref. 112399).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Trape, S., 2016. A new cichlid fish in the Sahara: the Ounianga Serir lakes (Chad), a biodiversity hotspot in the desert. C. R. Biol. 339:529-536. (Ref. 112399)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5020 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01445 (0.00674 - 0.03099), b=2.99 (2.82 - 3.16), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.3 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).