| Alcolapia alcalica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Territorial male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Alcolapia |
| Species: | A. alcalica |
| Binomial name | |
| Alcolapia alcalica (Hilgendorf, 1905) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
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]
