Coptodon walteri

Coptodon walteri

Coptodon walteri (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1968)

Coptodon walteri

photo by RMCA

Family:	Cichlidae (Cichlids), subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Max. size:	27 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:	benthopelagic; freshwater
Distribution:	Africa: Cavally and Nipoué (= Cess) Rivers in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia; also reported from the upper St. John River in Liberia (Ref. 7378, 53405).
Diagnosis:	Dorsal spines (total): 15-16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-13; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 9-10. Diagnosis: lower pharyngeal bone about as long as broad, with anterior lamella shorter than toothed area; median pharyngeal teeth not broadened; upper part of caudal fin yellow-orange, lower part greyish; dorsal fin with 15-16 spines and 12-14 soft rays; 9-13 lower gill-rakers (Ref. 53405). Description: deep-bodied; head short; frontal profile steep (Ref. 52307). Outer jaw teeth bicuspid and non-spatulate, posterior pharyngeal teeth tricuspid (Ref. 53405). Coloration: in life: juveniles: ground colour greyish with 5-6 dark cross bars and sometimes dark horizontal band; soft part of dorsal and upper part of caudal fins uniformly grey; well marked "tilapian" spot, disappearing in adults (Ref. 53405). Adults: uniformly grey, but distal area of soft part of dorsal and upper part of caudal fins orange-red; spinous dorsal fin blackish distally (Ref. 53405). Lower part of caudal fin gray to grayish-blue; anterior body parts occasionally a bit reddish (Ref. 52307).
Biology:	Mainly herbivorous, but also takes small amounts of insects; pair-bonding, biparental, open substrate spawner that builds large, deep pits on the river bottom (Ref. 52307).
IUCN Red List Status:	Endangered (EN); Date assessed: 19 August 2019 (B2ab(i,ii,iii)) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:	harmless

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