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

To determine the species diversity of cichlids in the Banc d'Arguin National Park (PNBA) and their phylogenetic relationships with other species in West Africa, a morphometric and meristic and molecular phylogenetic study was conducted. Both approaches not only confirm the presence of Sarotherodon melanotheron in PNBA but also demonstrate the presence of a second species from the genus Coptodon. While morphometric characteristics match the description of the Guinean tilapia Coptodon guineensis, phylogenetic reconstructions based on three mitochondrial and one nuclear DNA fragment demonstrate that C.