Longfin tilapia

📖 Overview

Adults prefer quiet, deep water associated with aquatic vegetation, but has been collected in other habitats as well . Found at temperatures between 18 and 35°C . Has a very low salinity tolerance . They occasionally form schools, are mainly diurnal . They feed mostly on detritus , (blue-green) algae and diatoms. Juveniles also accept small invertebrates and zooplankton , but lose this tendency with age . Maternal mouthbrooders . Mating territory having a central volcano-shaped mound with a flat or slightly concave top, surrounded by a ditch and vallum, in contrast to O. mweruensis . Flesh excellent .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9 - 12; Vertebrae: 29 - 32. Diagnosis: head profile steep and rounded . Toothed area of lower pharyngeal bone with broadly rounded lobes; scales on cheek in 2-3 rows; caudal scales variable, not on the inter-radial membranes except at the base, and never stiffening the fin . Adults with black or dark brown flecks in the temporal region, on the gill-cover and below the eye, mostly associated with openings of the lateral line system . Adults without conspicuous mid-lateral blotches . : fusiform / normal; Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Longfin tilapia is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

Breeds in summer . The reproductive season lasts from September to March in the southern regions of the species distribution . Males construct and defend a nest in shallowish waters , which is a central volcano-shaped mound with a flat or slightly concave top which is the mating platform, surrounded by a ditch and vallum (groove and boundary wall) . The cone is higher than the boundary wall of the territory . Spawns in waters up to 150 or 300 cm deep, along banks of the lakes/river . Males court several females in succession and females may mate with more than one male in a summer, so that large populations of young may build up . Several nests are often grouped into an arena . If a male can successfully attract a female to his pit, both fish will swim to the center of the nest; the female then deposits her eggs - about 10-50 per spawn - and the male, possessing tassel-like genital papilla approximately 25 mm in length, swims over the eggs; the female touches the male's tassels with her lips, stimulating him to fertilize the eggs; surely part of the sperm will fertilize the eggs in the female's mouth, but the majority of the fertilization takes place outside, in the crater of the nest; Wickler (1966) wrote that he observed a spermatophore-like structure in this species but Trewavas (1983) wrote that it was more likely a filament of the genital papilla, as she did not observe any spermatophores in this species under natural conditions; pair-bonding does not take place, as partners are only together during spawning; in the wlld, females have been observed spawning with one male and then seeking others out to continue spawning with, in the end brooding some eggs from each; depending on its size, a female can carry up to 1300 eggs in her mouth; eggs have a diameter of 3 mm and are greenish-brown in color; a female can raise multiple broods per season, at about 5·week intervals; brooding females prefer to hide in regions with thick vegetation and cover; fry may initially leave the mother's mouth even before yolk sack is totally absorbed, but remain close together and are reincubated by the mother at night or when threatened; after about 21 days, the babies (about 20 mm long) leave their mother; they spend their earliest days in the shallow waters near the banks, or in other regions that contain plenty of shelter; once they increase in size, they will begin to venture out into more open water .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; benthopelagic; non-migratory ; depth range 5 - 14 m . Tropical; 18°C - 35°C ; 5°N - 25°S

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🎣 Angling Guide

🍽️ Edibility & Flavour

"Longfin tilapia is an edible species."

⚡ Nutrition

Per 100g cooked - Source: USDA FoodData Central

Nutrient	Amount
Protein	18.1 g
Omega-3 (total)	347 mg

🔬 Mercury Safety

Mercury data for Longfin tilapia has not yet been assigned. Please consult FDA/EPA guidance for general seafood safety advice.

🌿 Sustainability

🔬 Full Nutritional Profile

Per 100g - Raw, per 100g - Source: USDA FoodData Central templates (generic fish average)

📊 Population Dynamics

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Language	Common Names
🇬🇧English	Greenhead Tilapia · greenheaded bream · Longfin tilapia
🌍AFR	Groenkop-kurper
🇫🇮Finnish	tummatilapia
🌍TSN	Tlhapi

Scientific Synonyms

Scientific Name	Author	Year	Status
Chromis chapmanii	Castelnau	1861	Synonym
Chromys acora chapmannii	Castelnau	1861	Synonym
Chromys chapmani	Castelnau	1861	Synonym
Chromys sparmanni	Castelnau	1861	Synonym
Loruwiala macrochir	Boulenger	1912	Synonym
Oreochromis macrochir macrochir	-	-	Synonym
Oreochromis microchir	Boulenger	1912	Synonym
Sarotherodon macrochir	Boulenger	1912	Synonym
Sarotherodon macrochirus	Boulenger	1912	Synonym
Tilapia alleni	Fowler	1931	Synonym
Tilapia intermedia	Gilchrist & Thompson	1917	Synonym
Tilapia macrocheir	Boulenger	1912	Synonym
Tilapia macrochir	Boulenger	1912	Synonym
Tilapia sheshekensis	Gilchrist & Thompson	1917	Synonym

🦠 Common Diseases

The following diseases are known to affect Longfin tilapia.

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 252 records indexed .

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