Oreochromis urolepis, Wami tilapia : fisheries, aquaculture, aquarium

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Oreochromis urolepis (Norman, 1922)

Wami tilapia
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Cichliformes (Cichlids, convict blennies) > Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Oreochromis: Latin, aurum = gold + Greek, chromis = a fish, perhaps a perch (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Norman.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; depth range 1 - ? m (Ref. 5723). Tropical; 22°C - 28°C (Ref. 2059); 5°S - 10°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Africa: most of the Rufiji River and its tributaries, Kingani [= Ruvu] River, Mbwenkuru River and Wami River, all in Tanzania (Ref. 2, 118630, 118638). Populations in Zanzibar and Pemba may be native, although there may also have been some stocking from the mainland (Ref. 118638).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 44.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4967)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 18; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9 - 12; Vertebrae: 29 - 30. Diagnosis: A large, deep-bodied species; mature males develop enlarged jaws and a concave head profile (Ref. 2, 118638). Other distinguishing characters of this species include: vertebrae 29-30; dorsal spines XV-XVIII, total dorsal rays 27-30, anal spines III; lower gill rakers 19-27; pharyngeal teeth slender, but firm, not crowded, blade of lower bone 0.9-1.25 times length of dentigerous area; and depth of caudal peduncle greater than its length (Ref. 2). Freshly collected males vary in colour: sometimes with grey head, brownish-golden upper parts, or sometimes with pinkish unpaired fins and upper parts; under stress, or after death, males tend towards uniform black body and fins, with reddish-pink dorsal and tail fin margins; females and immatures vary from light grey to dark brownish background, with dark flank patches and an anal fin with faint vertical bars (Ref. 2, 118638).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

A maternal mouthbrooder (Ref. 118638); oviparous (Ref. 205). A large, fast-growing species heavily exploited in its native range (Ref. 118638). It was globally cultured in the past, making use of its salt tolerance and ability to produce all-male strains through hybridisation with Oreochromis niloticus and O. mossambicus (Ref. 118638).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Kullander, Sven O. | Collaborators

Trewavas, E., 1983. Tilapiine fishes of the genera Sarotherodon, Oreochromis and Danakilia. British Mus. Nat. Hist., London, UK. 583 p. (Ref. 2)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 08 April 2021

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration
Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
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Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
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Abundance
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References
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Aquaculture profile
Strains
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Stamps, Coins Misc.
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Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01585 (0.00773 - 0.03248), b=3.00 (2.83 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  2.0   ±0.00 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec=500).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.