Mozambique tilapia

Mozambique tilapia
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Oreochromis
Species:
O. mossambicus
Binomial name
Oreochromis mossambicus
Synonyms
Synonyms list
  • Chromis mossambicus W. K. H. Peters, 1852
  • Chromis niloticus var. mossambicus W. K. H. Peters, 1852
  • Sarotherodon mossambicus (W. K. H. Peters, 1852)
  • Tilapia mossambica (W. K. H. Peters, 1852)
  • Tilapia mossambica mossambica (W. K. H. Peters, 1852)
  • Tilapia mossambicus (W. K. H. Peters, 1852)
  • Chromis dumerilii Steindachner, 1864
  • Tilapia dumerilii (Steindachner, 1864)
  • Chromis vorax Pfeffer, 1893
  • Tilapia vorax (Pfeffer, 1893)
  • Chromis natalensis M. C. W. Weber, 1897
  • Sarotherodon mossambicus natalensis (M. C. W. Weber, 1897)
  • Tilapia natalensis (M. C. W. Weber, 1897)
  • Tilapia arnoldi Gilchrist & W. W. Thompson, 1917
  • Oreochromis mossambicus bassamkhalafi Khalaf, 2009

The Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) is an oreochromine cichlid fish native to southeastern Africa. Dull colored, the Mozambique tilapia often lives up to a decade in its native habitats. It is a popular fish for aquaculture. Due to human introductions, it is now found in many tropical and subtropical habitats around the globe, where it can become an invasive species because of its robust nature. These same features make it a good species for aquaculture because it readily adapts to new situations.