Species: Coptodon rendalli, Redbreast Tilapia

Coptodon rendalli (Boulenger, 1897)

Redbreast Tilapia

Body an elongate oblong; head profile convex; 1 pair of nostrils; top jaw highly protrusible; teeth short, broad, very stout, 2-pointed, close set, outer row immovable or nearly so; toothed throat apparatus: lower plate broadly triangular, as wide as long, bottom keel shorter than depth of triangular toothed surface, rear teeth with 2-4 points; gill rakers simple, lower gill rakers 7-10; one dorsal fin XIV-XVI, 12-13, without a notch between spines and rays; anal fin III, 9-10; lateral line in 2 straight overlapping sections, with 28-34 large scales.

Adults olive-green to brown, often with scattered blue scales; a blackish blotch on upper corner of operculum; bases of scales on body with dark crescent marks; 2 indistinct dark bars on head (through eye and on nape) and 5-7 on body and tail base; dorsal fin olive, with a thin yellowish to red outer edge, pearly spots on soft rays and a dark blotch on base of first rays in adults; tail fin olive with pearl spots above, red to yellowish below; belly, throat and anal fin reddish. Juveniles: 5-7 dark bars on body; pelvics colorless; soft dorsal fin barred, a dark spot at base of front rays.

Reaches 45 cm; 2 kg.

Primarily freshwater, but in brackish water up to ~ 19 ppt salinity.

Depth range: 0-3 m.

Central Africa; introduced to our region for aquaculture.