Tilapia

Oreochromis (about 30 species)
Sarotherodon (over 10 species)
Tilapia (about 40 species)
and see text

Tilapia is the common name for nearly 100 species of cichlid fishes from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapias inhabit a variety of fresh and, less commonly, brackish water habitats from shallow streams and ponds through to rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Most tilapias are omnivorous with a preference for soft aquatic vegetation and detritus. They have historically been of major importance in artisanal fishing in Africa and the Levant, and are of increasing importance in aquaculture around the world (see tilapia in aquaculture). Where tilapia have been deliberately or accidentally introduced, they have frequently become problematic invasive species (see tilapia as exotic species).

For a long time, they were all united in the genus Tilapia, but nowadays, genera Oreochromis and Sarotherodon are considered distinct. The delimitation of these genera among each other and to other tilapiines requires more research; mtDNA sequence are confounded by the fact that at least among the species of any one genus, there is frequent hybridization. The species remaining in Tilapia in particular still seem to be a paraphyletic assemblage.(Nagl et al. 2001)