Tilapia (genus)

This article is about the genus Tilapia. For species commonly referred to as "tilapia", see Tilapia.

Tilapia is a genus of cichlid fishes endemic to freshwater habitats in Southern Africa. In the past this was a very large genus including all species with the common name tilapia, but today the vast majority are placed in other genera.^[1]

Tilapia
Banded tilapia, Tilapia sparrmanii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cichliformes
Family:	Cichlidae
Tribe:	Tilapiini
Genus:	Tilapia A. Smith, 1840
Type species
Tilapia sparrmanii A. Smith, 1840
Species
4, see text
Synonyms
Chromis Günther, 1862 (non Cuvier, 1814: preoccupied)

Species and taxonomy

In the past, Oreochromis and Sarotherodon were retained in the genus Tilapia, but these are treated as separate genera by all recent authorities.^[2] Even with this more restricted Tilapia, there were indications that the taxonomic treatment was problematic, and in 2013 a review of the group resulted in the removal of most "Tilapia" species to the genera Coelotilapia, Coptodon, Heterotilapia and Pelmatolapia.^[1] With these as separate genera, only four species remain in Tilapia:^[1]

• Tilapia baloni Trewavas & D. J. Stewart, 1975
• Tilapia guinasana Trewavas, 1936 (Otjikoto tilapia)
• Tilapia ruweti (Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1965) (Okavango tilapia)
• Tilapia sparrmanii A. Smith, 1840 (Banded tilapia)

Temporarily retained here, but belonging elsewhere:^[1]

• "Tilapia" brevimanus Boulenger, 1911 – closer to "Steatocranus" irvinei (itself not related to the remaining Steatocranus) and Gobiocichla.
• "Tilapia" busumana (Günther, 1903) – closer to "Steatocranus" irvinei (itself not related to the remaining Steatocranus) and Gobiocichla.
• "Tilapia" pra Dunz & Schliewen, 2010 – closer to "Steatocranus" irvinei (itself not related to the remaining Steatocranus) and Gobiocichla.