A new species flock of cichlid fishes from Lake Bermin, Cameroon with a description of eight new species of Tilapia (Labroidei: Cichlidae)
By Stiassny, Melanie, U.K. Schliewen, W.J. Dominey
Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters, 3(4):311-346 Dec-1992
" Lake Bermin, a small crater lake of little more than 0.5 km2 in the South West Province of Cameroon, an endemic radiation of nine substrate-spawning tilapiine cichlids dominates the ichthyofauna. Eight of these, tentatively induded in the genus Tilapia are described here: T. imbriferna, T. flava, T. bythobates, T. bakossiorum, T. snyderae, T. thysi, T. spongotroktis, and T. gutturosa. The morphological variation encompassed by these tilapiines is impressive, and they exhibit a wide range of variation in buccal dentition and pharyngeal morphology. While mest species are feeding primarily on organic debris and detrital plant materiaI. at least two trophic specialists are recognized; T. imbriferna (a phytopIanctivore) and T. spongotroktis (a sponge eater). All of the Lake Bermin species are relatively small but T. snyderae is notable as a dwarf species with females attaining sexual maturity 25 mm SL, making this the smallest tilapiine yet recorded', 'bakossiorum, bythobates, flava, gutturosa, imbriferna, snyderae, spongotroktix, thysi "
Classification: Taxonomy and phylogeny, Africa.
Language: English
Reference in bibliography for species (8)
Name substitutions
- Coptodon bakossiorum referred to as Tilapia bakossiorum.
- Coptodon bythobates referred to as Tilapia bythobates.
- Coptodon flavus referred to as Tilapia flava.
- Coptodon gutturosus referred to as Tilapia gutturosa.
- Coptodon imbrifernus referred to as Tilapia imbriferna.
- Coptodon snyderae referred to as Tilapia snyderae.
- Coptodon spongotroktis referred to as Tilapia spongotroktis.
- Coptodon thysi referred to as Tilapia thysi.
Stiassny, Melanie & U.K. Schliewen, W.J. Dominey. 1992. "A new species flock of cichlid fishes from Lake Bermin, Cameroon with a description of eight new species of Tilapia (Labroidei: Cichlidae)". Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters. 3(4):311-346 (crc00363) (abstract)