Oreochromis_alcalica
Alcolapia alcalica
Species of fish
Alcolapia alcalica, the common natron tilapia[2] or soda cichlid,[3] is an endangered species of fish in the family Cichlidae.[1] It is endemic to the hypersaline, warm Lake Natron in Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region, its drainage and the Shombole Swamps in Kenya and Tanzania.[1] This species typically has an essentially terminal (straight) mouth, but a morph with an upturned mouth is found locally in eastern Lake Natron, where it co-occurs with the normal morph. A. latilabris and A. ndalalani, the two other species in Lake Natron, both have a clearly downturned mouth.[4] Territorial males of A. alcalica have extensive blue-white spotting, and their underparts and throat can be yellow or white. Females and non-territorial males are overall sandy in colour.[5] A. alcalica reaches up to 11.6 cm (4.6 in) in total length.[2]
