Cichlids of the Banc d'Arguin National Park, Mauritania: insight into the diversity of the genus Coptodon

A new species of cichlid fish, previously thought to be Coptodon guineensis, has been identified in the Banc d'Arguin National Park (PNBA) in Mauritania. This discovery challenges the current understanding of the genus Coptodon's diversity and distribution in West Africa. The study, combining morphometric, meristic, and molecular phylogenetic analyses, revealed that C. guineensis is paraphyletic across its range, with distinct lineages distributed allopatrically. This suggests that the current classification of C. guineensis should be restricted to Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, while other lineages should be recognized as Coptodon sp. aff. guineensis. Additionally, the presence of a second species, Sarotherodon melanotheron, was confirmed in PNBA.

Kide, N. G., Dunz, A., Agnèse, J.-F., Dilyte, J., Pariselle, A., Carneiro, C., Correia, E., Brito, J. C., Yarba, L. O., Kone, Y., & Durand, J.-D. (2016). Cichlids of the Banc d’Arguin National Park, Mauritania: insight into the diversity of the genus Coptodon. Journal of Fish Biology, 88(4), 1369–1393. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12899