Oreochromis macrochir

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]

Oreochromis macrochir
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
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

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". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63336A12659168. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63336A12659168.en.
  2. R. L. Welcomme, ed. (1988). "Oreochromis macrochir". International introductions of inland aquatic species. Food & Agriculture Org. p. 190. ISBN 978-92-5-102664-9.
  3. R. H. Hughes, J. S. Hughes (1992). A directory of African wetlands. IUCN. pp. 538–541. ISBN 978-2-88032-949-5.
  4. C. Lévêque (1997). Biodiversity dynamics and conservation: the freshwater fish of tropical Africa. Cambridge University Press. p. 322. ISBN 978-0-521-57033-6.
  5. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Oreochromis macrochir" in FishBase. April 2013 version.


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