''Sarotherodon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of oreochromine cichlids that are native to the northern half of Africa (south as far as the

Congo River basin The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...

), with a single species, ''S. galilaeus'', also ranging into the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

. A couple of species from this genus have been introduced far outside their native range, and are important in aquaculture (''S. galilaeus'' and to a lesser degree ''S. melanotheron''). Most other species have small ranges and some are seriously threatened. They mainly inhabit fresh and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

water, but a few can live in salt water (at least for a period). Species in this genus, as well as those in several other oreochromine and tilapiine genera, share the common name "

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

" and historically they were included in the genus ''

Tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

''. Based on

mtDNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA ...

sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is calle ...

analysis, there seem to be several clades in this genus, and a few species of the much larger genus ''Oreochromis'' (such as ''Oreochromis urolepis'' and the

blue tilapia The blue tilapia (''Oreochromis aureus'') is a species of tilapia, a fish in the family Cichlidae. Native to Northern and Western Africa, and the Middle East, through introductions it is now also established elsewhere, including parts of the ...

''O. aureus'') seem closer to ''Sarotherodon'' according to the mtDNA data (see discussion at Wami tilapia). Research is hampered by the fact that hybridization runs rampant in these fishes, which confounds mtDNA data, and that the fast speed of

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

makes choice of appropriate

nuclear DNA Nuclear DNA (nDNA), or nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid, is the DNA contained within each cell nucleus of a eukaryotic organism. It encodes for the majority of the genome in eukaryotes, with mitochondrial DNA and plastid DNA coding for the rest. I ...

sequences difficult.

Species

There are currently 13 recognized species in this genus: * '' Sarotherodon caroli'' (

Holly ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

, 1930) (Fissi) * '' Sarotherodon caudomarginatus'' ( Boulenger, 1916) * ''

Sarotherodon galilaeus ''Sarotherodon'' is a genus of oreochromine cichlids that are native to the northern half of Africa (south as far as the Congo River basin), with a single species, ''S. galilaeus'', also ranging into the Levant. A couple of species from this g ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758) ** '' Sarotherodon galilaeus borkuanus'' ( Pellegrin, 1919) ** '' Sarotherodon galilaeus boulengeri'' ( Pellegrin, 1903) ** '' Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus'' (

, 1758) (Mango tilapia) ** '' Sarotherodon galilaeus multifasciatus'' ( Günther, 1903) ** '' Sarotherodon galilaeus sanagaensis'' ( Thys van den Audenaerde, 1966) * '' Sarotherodon knauerae'' D. Neumann, Stiassny & Schliewen, 2011 * '' Sarotherodon lamprechti'' D. Neumann, Stiassny & Schliewen, 2011 * '' Sarotherodon linnellii'' ( Lönnberg, 1903) (Blackfin tilapia) * ''

Sarotherodon lohbergeri The leka keppe (''Sarotherodon lohbergeri'') or keppi, is a species of cichlid essentially endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo in western Cameroon, but additionally two juveniles have been found in the Kumba Stream (Kake River), a tributary of the lake's ...

'' (

, 1930) (Keppi) * '' Sarotherodon melanotheron'' Rüppell, 1852 ** '' Sarotherodon melanotheron heudelotii'' ( A. H. A. Duméril, 1861) ** '' Sarotherodon melanotheron leonensis'' ( Thys van den Audenaerde, 1971) ** ''

Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron ''Sarotherodon'' is a genus of oreochromine cichlids that are native to the northern half of Africa (south as far as the Congo River basin), with a single species, ''S. galilaeus'', also ranging into the Levant. A couple of species from this gen ...

'' Rüppell, 1852 (Blackchin tilapia) * '' Sarotherodon mvogoi'' ( Thys van den Audenaerde, 1965) * '' Sarotherodon nigripinnis'' (Guichenot, 1861) ** '' Sarotherodon nigripinnis dolloi'' ( Boulenger, 1899) ** '' Sarotherodon nigripinnis nigripinnis'' ( Guichenot, 1861) * '' Sarotherodon occidentalis'' ( Daget, 1962) * ''

Sarotherodon steinbachi The kululu (''Sarotherodon steinbachi'') e.g. Vikululu - Nikululu - Akululu - Bokululu - Hekululu is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Barombi Mbo in western Cameroon. This species can reach a length of SL. It is threatened because of pollu ...

'' ( Trewavas, 1962) (Kululu) * '' Sarotherodon tournieri'' (Daget, 1965) ** '' Sarotherodon tournieri liberiensis'' ( Thys van den Audenaerde, 1971) ** '' Sarotherodon tournieri tournieri'' ( Daget, 1965)

References

Oreochromini Cichlid genera Taxa named by Eduard Rüppell {{Tilapiini-stub