Oreochromis
Encyclopedia
Oreochromis is a large genus
of tilapiine cichlid
s, fishes endemic
to Africa
and the Middle East
. Several species from this genus have been introduced
far outside their native range, and are important in aquaculture. Members of this genus, as well as those of the genera Tilapia
and Sarotherodon
, share the common name "tilapia
".
The genus contains more than 30 species
, and numerous undescribed forms exist. Judging from mtDNA sequence
analysis, there seem to be several clade
s. In addition, some species (such as Oreochromis urolepis and the Blue tilapia O. aureus) seem closer to Sarotherodon according to the mtDNA data. Research is hampered by the fact that hybridization runs rampant in these fishes, which confounds mtDNA data (see discussion at Wami tilapia), and that the fast speed of evolution
makes choice of appropriate nuclear DNA
sequences difficult.(Nagl et al. 2001)
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of tilapiine cichlid
Cichlid
Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...
s, fishes endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Several species from this genus have been introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
far outside their native range, and are important in aquaculture. Members of this genus, as well as those of the genera Tilapia
Tilapia (genus)
Tilapia is a large genus of cichlid fishes endemic to Africa, except for a single species that also occurs in the Middle East. The vast majority of the species are from tropical Western and Middle Africa, but there are also a few species in Northern, Eastern and Southern Africa...
and Sarotherodon
Sarotherodon
Sarotherodon is a genus of tilapiine cichlids, fishes endemic to Africa and the Middle East. A few species from this genus have been introduced far outside their native range, and are important in aquaculture. They mainly inhabit fresh and brackish water, but a few can live in salt water...
, share the common name "tilapia
Tilapia
Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...
".
The genus contains more than 30 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, and numerous undescribed forms exist. Judging from mtDNA sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
analysis, there seem to be several clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
s. In addition, some species (such as Oreochromis urolepis and the Blue tilapia O. aureus) seem closer to Sarotherodon according to the mtDNA data. Research is hampered by the fact that hybridization runs rampant in these fishes, which confounds mtDNA data (see discussion at Wami tilapia), and that the fast speed of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
makes choice of appropriate nuclear DNA
Nuclear DNA
Nuclear DNA, nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid , is DNA contained within a nucleus of eukaryotic organisms. In mammals and vertebrates, nuclear DNA encodes more of the genome than the mitochondrial DNA and is composed of information inherited from two parents, one male, and one female, rather than...
sequences difficult.(Nagl et al. 2001)
Species
- Oreochromis amphimelasOreochromis amphimelasOreochromis amphimelas is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitats are intermittent freshwater lakes and saline lakes.-Source:* Bayona, J.D.R. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
- Oreochromis andersonii (Castelnau, 1861) – Three-spotted tilapia
- Oreochromis angolensis (Trewavas, 1973)
- Oreochromis aureusOreochromis aureusOreochromis aureus is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. Native to Northern and Western Africa, and the Middle East, through introductions it is now also established elsewhere, including parts of the United States, where it has been declared an invasive species and has caused significant...
(Steindachner, 1864) – Blue tilapia - Oreochromis chungruruensisOreochromis chungruruensisOreochromis chungruruensis is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Tanzania.-Source:* Bayona, J.D.R. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
- Oreochromis esculentus – Singida tilapia
- Oreochromis hunteri – Lake Chala tilapiaLake Chala tilapiaThe Lake Chala tilapia is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Kenya. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes.-Source:...
- Oreochromis ismailiaensis Mekkawy, 1995
- Oreochromis jipe – Jipe tilapiaJipe tilapiaThe Jipe tilapia is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is endemic to Lake Jipe, straddling the borders of Kenya and Tanzania.-Source:* Bayona, J.D.R. & Hanssens, M. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
- Oreochromis karomo – KaromoKaromoThe karomo is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitats are rivers, swamps, and inland deltas.-Source:* Ntakimazi, G. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
- Oreochromis karongaeOreochromis karongaeOreochromis karongae is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes.-External Links:...
- Oreochromis korogweOreochromis korogweOreochromis korogwe is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Kenya and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes.-References:* Hanssens, M. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
– Korogwe tilapia - Oreochromis lepidurus (Boulenger, 1899)
- Oreochromis leucostictusOreochromis leucostictusOreochromis leucostictus is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda...
- Oreochromis lidoleOreochromis lidoleOreochromis lidole is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes....
- Oreochromis macrochirOreochromis macrochirOreochromis macrochir is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family.The species is native to the Zambezi Basin, and is also found in Lake Mweru and Lake Bangweulu....
(Boulenger, 1912) – Longfin tilapia - Oreochromis malagarasi Trewavas, 1983
- Oreochromis mortimeri (Trewavas, 1983) – Kariba tilapia
- Oreochromis mossambicusOreochromis mossambicusThe Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, is a tilapiine cichlid fish native to southern Africa. It is a popular fish for aquaculture...
– Mozambique tilapia - Oreochromis mweruensisOreochromis mweruensisOreochromis mweruensis is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are rivers, freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, and inland deltas. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:*...
- Oreochromis niloticusOreochromis niloticusThe Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus is a relatively large cichlid fish, which is native to Africa from Egypt south to East and Central Africa, and as far west as Gambia. It is also native to Israel, and numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range.It is also commercially...
– Nile tilapia - Oreochromis panganiOreochromis panganiOreochromis pangani is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitat is rivers.-Source:* Bayona, J.D.R. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
- Oreochromis pangani girigan (Lowe, 1955)
- Oreochromis pangani pangani
- Oreochromis placidus (Trewavas, 1941)
- Oreochromis placidus placidus – Black tilapia
- Oreochromis placidus ruvumae (Trewavas, 1966)
- Oreochromis rukwaensis – Lake Rukwa tilapiaLake Rukwa tilapiaThe Lake Rukwa tilapia, Oreochromis rukwaensis, is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is endemic to the Lake Rukwa catchment in Tanzania. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes....
- Oreochromis saka (Lowe, 1953)
- Oreochromis salinicola (Poll, 1948)
- Oreochromis schwebischi (Sauvage, 1884)
- Oreochromis shiranus Boulenger, 1897
- Oreochromis shiranus chilwae (Trewavas, 1966) – Chilwa tilapia
- Oreochromis shiranus shiranus
- Oreochromis spilurus (Günther, 1894)
- Oreochromis spilurus niger Günther, 1894 – Athi River tilapia
- Oreochromis spilurus percivali (Boulenger, 1912) – Buffalo Springs tilapia
- Oreochromis spilurus spilurus – Sabaki tilapia
- Oreochromis squamipinnisOreochromis squamipinnisOreochromis squamipinnis is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes.-Source:* Kazembe, J. & Makocho, P. 2004. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
- Oreochromis tanganicaeOreochromis tanganicaeOreochromis tanganicae is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marches, and inland deltas.-References:*...
- Oreochromis upembae (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1964)
- Oreochromis urolepis (Norman, 1922)
- Oreochromis urolepis hornorumOreochromis urolepis hornorumThe Wami tilapia is a tilapiine cichlid that grows to over 20 cm in length and is considered a useful food fish in Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar, where it may have been introduced by man. It is tolerant of brackish water and grows well in saline pools, making it particularly suitable for...
– Wami tilapia - Oreochromis urolepis urolepis (Norman, 1922) – Rufigi tilapia
- Oreochromis urolepis hornorum
- Oreochromis variabilisOreochromis variabilisOreochromis variabilis is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are swamps and freshwater lakes.-Source:...
– Victoria tilapia