Understanding Tilapia Fisheries Science in One Article

    English name: Nile tilapia
 

    Local names: African crucian carp, Fushou fish

    Taxonomic status: Perciformes, Cichlidae, Tilapia genus

    Morphological characteristics: Body laterally compressed, back high. Mouth terminal. Dorsal fin margin black; anal fin and caudal fin margins slightly red; dorsal and anal fins with black and white spots; pectoral fins pink, caudal fin end bluntly rounded. Dorsal side of body dark brown, ventral side silvery white. Body sides with 8 to 10 black longitudinal stripes.

    Ecological habits: A medium-sized tropical fish. Survival water temperature 12 to 39°C, optimal growth water temperature 24 to 35°C. Tolerant of low oxygen, dissolved oxygen suffocation point is 0.07 to 0.23mg/L. Omnivorous. Under artificial rearing, it is not demanding about feed. Males grow noticeably faster than females. Builds nests to spawn, mouthbrooding incubation.

    Geographic distribution: Native to Africa. Introduced to Ningxia in the 1970s.

    Economic value: One of the world's cultured species, an excellent aquaculture species recommended by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.