Major Fishes of West African Coastal Waters and Their Morphological Characterization, with Emphasis on Sarotherodon melanotheron Teleostei, Cichlidae)

Abstract

The West African coastal zone is rich in estuaries and lagoons. Estuaries are abundant in the area from the mouth of Senegal to Guinea (e.g., Sine Saloum, Casamance); lagoons are generally present from Cote d'Ivoire to the Niger Delta in Nigeria (e.g., Ebrie Lagoon, Porto Novo Lagoon, Lagos Lagoon). Because of their important diversity, it is difficult to give their physical and biological definitions. They are all, however, characterized by a typical and rich fish species composition