:Alcolapia

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image =Alcolapia_alcalica_2_-_Berlin_aquarium_-_20071102.jpg

| image_caption = Alcolapia alcalica

| taxon = Alcolapia

| display_parents = 3

| authority = Thys van den Audenaerde, 1969

| type_species = Tilapia grahami

| type_species_authority = Boulenger, 1912

}}

Alcolapia is a genus of small fishes in the family Cichlidae. Their native range is restricted to margins of Lake Natron and Lake Magadi, as well as similar conditions in nearby hot springs, in Kenya and Tanzania.{{cite journal | author1=Ford, A.G.P. | author2=L. Ruber | author3=J. Newton | author4=K.K. Dasmahapatra | author5=J.D. Balarin | author6=K. Bruun | author7=J.J. Day | year=2016 | title=Niche divergence facilitated by fine-scale ecological partitioning in a recent cichlid fish adaptive radiation | journal=Evolution | volume=70 | issue=12 | pages=2718–2735 | doi=10.1111/evo.13072 | pmid=27659769 | pmc=5132037 | doi-access=free }} They live in waters that are warm (mostly {{cvt|30-42.8|C|F|disp=sqbr|0}}, although occasionally down to {{cvt|20|C|F|disp=sqbr}}), hypersaline (salinity above 40‰) and alkaline (pH above 10).{{cite journal | author1=Ford, A.G.P. | display-authors=etal | year=2019 | title=Molecular phylogeny of Oreochromis (Cichlidae: Oreochromini) reveals mito-nuclear discordance and multiple colonisation of adverse aquatic environments | journal=Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. | volume=136 | pages=215–226 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2019.04.008 | pmid=30974200 | url=https://boris.unibe.ch/130297/1/1-s2.0-S1055790318305062-main.pdf }} Species from this genus have also been introduced to Lake Nakuru and Lake Elmenteita.{{FishBase genus | genus = Alcolapia| month = September | year = 2019}} They are the only fish in their range.

The different Alcolapia species differ primarily in the position of their mouth (straight, upturned or downturned) and the colors of the adult males. They are fairly small fish, with the largest species reaching up to {{cvt|20|cm|in}} in standard length. They mostly feed on algae and cyanobacteria, but also take other plant material, fish eggs, fry and remains, and insects in smaller quantities (except A. alcalica, which feed on other plant material at about the same level as algae and cyanobacteria). They are maternal mouthbrooders.{{cite web | author1=Genner, M.J. | author2=G.F. Turner | author3=B.P. Ngatunga | year=2018 | title=A Guide to Tilapia Fishes of Tanzania | url=https://martingenner.weebly.com/uploads/1/6/2/5/16250078/tanzania_tilapia_guide_edition1_2018.pdf | access-date=6 November 2019 }}