Namibian Tilapiini identification

[westafrica]

Hi,

I request your help in trying to identify a cichlid I could observe and capture during my trip to Namibia. It was caught in a permanent water flow in the seasonal Uniab river, in Palmwag (north west of the country).

Below are 1 pic of the biotope, 1 picture of a subadult individual, and 1 of a young adult. I can also tell you that the big males of this Oreochromis (?) species reach at least 25cm.

GPS coordinates : 19°52'54”S- 13°56'46”E










Thanks in advance for your guesses!

Jerome

[Adrian Indermaur]

Hy,

juding from the collection site and the appearance I would also guess it to be O. andersonii

Greets

Adrian

[westafrica]

Thanks again here Adrian!

You're mentioning the location, does this factor make more likely that it is O. andersonii and not O. macrochir ?

[westafrica]

2 more (bad) pictures of the fish - I had to wait for dusk for the bigger individuals to swim out of their shelters...






One of the pictures depicts a male showing a "duckmouth", and illustrating that the yellow eye persists on mature individuals. I chose to post these despite their quality because they show mature individuals, which may help refine the identification. I wonder if it may not be O. mossambicus, as this species has been introduced in Namibia.

What do you think ?

[EC]

What do you think ?

Andersonii show a duckmouth too.

Ciao Enrico

[Rico Morgenstern]

The "duckmouth" is shown by most of the species naturally occuring in the east coast drainages of Africa (from O. spilurus in the north to O. mossambicus in the south) as well as by O. mortimeri and O. andersonii. However, it seems not as pronounced in the latter species, as can be judged from the numerous photos of very large adults in the www. See for example here:

http://www.outdoorpages.co.za/gallery/photos/ProfileGallery.asp?SpeciesID=118&MemberID=1&DisciplineID=3&SpeciesName=THREESPOT%20BREAM

The freshly caught juvenile shows the 'threespot' pattern which gave O. andersonii its common name, but this is also known to occur in other species of the genus, including O. mossambicus, where the number of spots is variable. The pattern shown by the larger fish, i.e. midlateral and dorsolateral stripe, on the other hand, is not recorded from O. andersonii of any known provenance. Likewise, the light lower jaw and throat of the adult male are unknown from this species, but are typical to O. mossambicus. Given that the occurence is most likely no natural one (though a relict distribution in rivers south of the Cunene cannot be excluded with certainty), it is most likely an introduced strain of O. mossambicus or hybrids between this and another species.

[EC]

it is most likely an introduced strain of O. mossambicus or hybrids between this and another species.

Usually in north side are hybrids andersonii X mossambicus and south are only mossambicus.

Ciao Enrico

[westafrica]

Thank you very much Enrico and Rico for these very detailed and interesting answers. I found an occurence of O. mossambicus in the same river listed on fishbase, which backs your hypothesis. I guess we can say now with almost certainty that these are O. mossambicus or hybrids.

Rico, while you're here : your ID skills regarding Pseudocrenilabrus would be much useful for these fish :
http://www.britishcichlid.org.uk/phpBB3 ... 188#p37188

You can give your opinion here, And I'll tell Bitnpcs to come here to read it (he's registered here but cannot post apparently due to anti spam problems)

Thanks in advance for him, and thanks again for the answer regarding the Namibian Oreochromis

[westafrica]

oops, sorry, I just saw on the BCA forum that you had already answered to him regarding the Pseudocrenilabrus

Here is the fishbase & google map sample that shows the collecting spot of O. mossambicus in the same river as where I caught the fish :



As you can see, unless there was an ID mistake, there are high chances that the fish are O. mossambicus

[Lisachromis]

Rico, while you're here : your ID skills regarding Pseudocrenilabrus would be much useful for these fish :
http://www.britishcichlid.org.uk/phpBB3 ... 188#p37188

You can give your opinion here, And I'll tell Bitnpcs to come here to read it (he's registered here but cannot post apparently due to anti spam problems)

Ask him to post something. I can then see he's not a spammer and open the account for him to post.

[westafrica]

Thanks Lisa!

However, as I said in my last message, I hadn't seen that Rico had already answered to him by MP.

I will post the link to this thread in his topic on the BCA forum so that he knows he can post here.

[bitsnpcs]

oops, sorry, I just saw on the BCA forum that you had already answered to him regarding the Pseudocrenilabrus

Here is the fishbase & google map sample that shows the collecting spot of O. mossambicus in the same river as where I caught the fish :



As you can see, unless there was an ID mistake, there are high chances that the fish are O. mossambicus

It was very kind and helpful of you to ask