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Coptodon

Genus of cichlids

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
2 min read
Source updated August 5, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Coptodon is a genus of cichlids native to fresh, brackish and coastal marine waters in Africa with C. zillii also found in the Middle East. It is the only genus in the tribe Coptodonini. Formerly included in Tilapia, this genus and tribe was separated in 2013. Despite the change in genus, Coptodon spp. are still referred to by the common name tilapia. Several species are important in local fisheries and a few are aquacultured.

01Appearance

Depending on the exact species, the maximum length of Coptodon ranges from 5 to 45 cm (2-18 in); the smallest is C. snyderae, which also is the smallest tilapia. Although the individual species typically have different nonbreeding and breeding colors, the sexes are alike. Some of the species are very similar and difficult to distinguish from each other.

02Behavior

Unlike the well-known oreochromine tilapia that are mouthbrooders, Coptodon spp. are substrate brooders. In most species, the parents excavate a "nest" in the bottom, ranging from a depression to actual tunnels, but a few species use surfaces of stones or sunken wood. The eggs are laid in the nest, and the eggs and fry are guarded by both parents.

Coptodon spp. mostly feed on plant material (both phytoplankton and higher plants) and detritus with smaller quantities of invertebrates, but in Lake Bermin and Lake Ejagham, a level of segregation has occurred among the species, including specialists that mostly feed on sponges (C. gutturosa and C. spongotroktis), small fish (C. ejagham), or zooplankton (C. fusiforme).

03Conservation status

C. rendalli and C. zillii have been introduced widely outside their native ranges, and are considered invasive, but most remaining members of the genus (including four endemics in Lake Ejagham and nine in Lake Bermin) have small ranges, and many species are seriously threatened. Considered data deficient by the IUCN, the virtually unknown C. ismailiaensis may be synonym of the equally poorly known Oreochromis ismailiaensis, or the widespread and common C. zillii. Regardless, the only known habitat of C. ismailiaensis (and Oreochromis ismailiaensis) in Egypt appears to have disappeared entirely.

04Species

Currently, 31 species are recognized in this genus:

Watch videos about CoptodonExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Coptodon”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

  • Tilapia rendalli.jpg by Frederick Hermanus Van der Bank, University of Johannesburg, Copyrighted free use

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