Tilapia deckerti

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	PERCIFORMES	CICHLIDAE

Scientific Name:	Tilapia deckerti
Species Authority:	Thys van den Audenaerde, 1967

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Critically Endangered   B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)   ver 3.1
Year Published:	2010
Assessor/s:	Moelants, T.
Reviewer/s:	Brummett, R., Mbe Tawe, A.N., Dening Touokong, C., Reid, G.M., Snoeks, J. Staissny, M., Moelants, T., Mamonekene, V., Ndodet, B., Ifuta, S.N.B., Chilala, A., Monsembula, R., Ibala Zamba, A., Opoye Itoua, O., Pouomogne, V., Darwall, W. & Smith, K.
Justification: The species is endemic to Lake Ejagham (0,5 km²). The species is currently major threat is from oil plantations and slash and burn agriculture leading to sedimentation and pollution in the lake (one location). There is also a potential threat from the lake 'burping' - CO2 (as in Lake Nyos and Lake Barombi-Mbo). In addition deforestation of the surroundings of the crater may cause more wind which could lead to the lake 'turning', as the lake is stratified, lower layer being very low in oxygen and high in organic matter. Higher winds may cause currents in the lake which could cause this lower layer to mix with the upper layer where the fish live. This would cause a massive decrease in oxygen in the water and kills the fish.
History:	1996 – Vulnerable

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	A Lower Guinea endemic, only known from Lake Ejagham in Cameroon.
Countries:	Native: Cameroon
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	No information available.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species is demersal.
Systems:	Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

Lake Ejagham has a surface of only 0.5 km². The species is potentially threatened by crater lake 'burping' - CO2 gasses (pers. comm., Brummet, R.) as in Lake Nyos and Lake Baromni-Mbo. Deforestation, palm oil plantation and slash and burn agriculture are leading to pollution and sedimentation of the lake. Deforestation of the area surrounding the lake would lead to increased wind and therefore risk of turnover (it is a stratified lake, where the lower part is very low in oxygen and high in organic matter). This would destroy the top stratified layer where the fish live.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:

None known.

Bibliography [top]

Pan-Africa freshwater assessment references. Currently, full citations for references used in the Pan-Africa biodiversity assessments are unavailable on the Red List web site. These will be added to the site in 2011. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. IUCN. 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2010.3). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 2 September 2010).