Oreochromis macrochir

Oreochromis macrochir
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cichlidae
Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae
Tribe: Tilapiini
Genus: Oreochromis
Species: O. macrochir
Binomial name
Oreochromis macrochir
(Boulenger, 1912)
Synonyms
  • Tilapia macrochir Boulenger, 1912
  • Loruwiala macrochir (Boulenger, 1912)
  • Oreochromis macrochir macrochir (Boulenger, 1912)
  • Sarotherodon macrochir (Boulenger, 1912)
  • Tilapia intermedia Gilchrist & W. W. Thompson, 1917
  • Tilapia sheshekensis Gilchrist & W. W. Thompson, 1917
  • Tilapia alleni Fowler, 1931

Oreochromis macrochir (longfin tilapia, greenhead tilapia, or greenhead bream) is a species of cichlid native to the Zambezi Basin, Lake Mweru, and Lake Bangweulu. It has been used extensively for stocking ponds and dams in other parts of southern Africa, but is little-used elsewhere.[2] In Lake Mweru, it is economically the most important fish.[3] The fish was introduced into Lake Alaotra in Madagascar in 1954, and proliferated quickly. By 1957, it provided 46% of the catch, perhaps because it was moving into an empty ecological niche as a phytophagous species.[4]

This species reaches a maximum length of 43 cm (17 in). It lives in fresh water at a depth from 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) in tropical climates with average temperatures between 18 and 35°C (64 and 95°F).[5]

References

  1. ↑ Marshall, B.E. & Tweddle, D. 2007. Oreochromis macrochir. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 10 May 2013.
  2. ↑ R. L. Welcomme, ed. (1988). "Oreochromis macrochir". International introductions of inland aquatic species. Food & Agriculture Org. p. 190. ISBN 92-5-102664-5.
  3. ↑ R. H. Hughes, J. S. Hughes (1992). A directory of African wetlands. IUCN. pp. 538–541. ISBN 2-88032-949-3.
  4. ↑ C. Lévêque (1997). Biodiversity dynamics and conservation: the freshwater fish of tropical Africa. Cambridge University Press. p. 322. ISBN 0-521-57033-6.
  5. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Oreochromis macrochir" in FishBase. April 2013 version.
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