Tilapia
Banded tilapia, Tilapia sparrmanii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
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)

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]

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]

Temporarily retained here, but belonging elsewhere:[1]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tilapia.
  1. ^ a b c d Dunz, A.R., and Schliewen, U.K. (2013). Molecular phylogeny and revised classification of the haplotilapiine cichlid fishes formerly referred to as “Tilapia”. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, online 29 March 2013. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.03.015
  2. ^ Nagl, S.; Tichy, H.; Mayer, W.E.; Samonte, I.E.; McAndrew, B.J., and Klein, J. (2001). Classification and Phylogenetic Relationships of African Tilapiine Fishes Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20(3): 361–374. doi:10.1006/mpev.2001.0979
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