Tilapia (genus)

Tilapia
	Banded tilapia, Tilapia sparrmanii
Scientific 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[edit]

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.

References[edit]

^ ^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
^ 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

Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Tilapia in FishBase. April 2013 version.

[Dunz2013-1] 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

[1]

[2]