''Tilapia'' 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 ...

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted th ...

fishes

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to freshwater habitats in

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...

. In the past this was a very large genus including all species with 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 ...

, but today the vast majority are placed in other genera.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.

Species and taxonomy

In the past, ''

Oreochromis ''Oreochromis'' is a large genus of oreochromine 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. Many others have very ...

'' and ''

Sarotherodon ''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 ...

'' were retained in the genus ''Tilapia'', but these are treated as separate genera by all recent authorities.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. 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''. With these as separate genera, only four species remain in ''Tilapia'': * '' Tilapia baloni'' Trewavas & D. J. Stewart, 1975 * ''

Tilapia guinasana The Otjikoto tilapia (''Tilapia guinasana'') is a critically endangered species of cichlid fish Endemism, endemic to Namibia where it was originally only found in Lake Guinas. This very small sinkhole lake contains quite clear water that generall ...

'' 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: * '' "Tilapia" brevimanus''

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858– ...

, 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

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tilapia (Genus) Tilapiini Fish of Africa Cichlid genera Taxa named by Andrew Smith (zoologist)