Ruskotilapia

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).

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 13; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 9 - 10

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).

fisheries: