Coptodon deckerti (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1967)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Coptodon deckerti is a critically endangered species of fish in the cichlid family, endemic to Lake Ejagham in western Cameroon. It is threatened by pollution and sedimentation from human activities, and potentially also by emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the lake's bottom (compare Lake Nyos), although Ejagham is too shallow to contain very high amounts of this gas. A species of catfish from the genus Parauchenoglanis has recently been introduced to the lake, and this probably presents a serious threat to the endemic cichlids. It was formerly recognized as the only cichlid endemic to Lake Ejagham, but six others were described in 2010 and 2011 (which has resulted in some historical confusion over its size and ecology). It reaches up to about 10 cm (4 in) in standard length and closely resembles the larger C. nigrans.
Wikipedia contributors, Coptodon deckerti; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:23:51.905952+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Coptodon deckerti (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1967)
- Name authority
- (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1967)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Coptodon
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCichliformes
- familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyPseudocrenilabrinae Fowler, 1934
- genusCoptodon Gervais, 1853
- speciesCoptodon deckerti (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1967)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Coptodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Coptodon bakossiorum (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon kottae (Lönnberg, 1904) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon cameronensis (Holly, 1927) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon congica (Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1960) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon dageti (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1971) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon discolor (Günther, 1903) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon ejagham (Dunz & Schliewen, 2010) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon flavus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon gutturosus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon imbrifernus (Stiassny, Schliewen & Dominey, 1992) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon konkourensis (Dunz & Schliewen, 2012) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coptodon margaritacea (Boulenger, 1916) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tilapia deckerti Thys van den Audenaerde, 1967 Thys van den Audenaerde, 1967 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1013402 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:Y7LJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.