Heterotilapia
| Heterotilapia | |
|---|---|
| T. buttikoferi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cichliformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Subfamily: | Pseudocrenilabrinae |
| Tribe: | Heterotilapini Dunz & Schliewen, 2013 |
| Genus: | Heterotilapia Regan, 1920 |
| Type species | |
| Chromis buttikoferi Hubrecht, 1881 | |
Heterotilapia is a genus of cichlid fish that are native to rivers from Guinea-Bissau to Liberia in tropical West Africa. Formerly considered a subgenus of Tilapia, in 2013, it was elevated to genus rank. They are medium-large cichlids, up to about 20–30 cm (8–12 in) in standard length depending on the species, and with a distinctive dark-and-light banded pattern. They are substrate spawners and brooders (not mouthbrooders as some other tilapias). H. buttikoferi is a common species that also has been introduced outside its native range, but H. cessiana is highly localized and critically endangered.