Tilapia sparrmanii

Tilapia sparrmanii
Banded tilapia from Lake Chilingali, Malawi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Tilapia
Species: T. sparrmanii
Binomial name
Tilapia sparrmanii
A. Smith, 1840
Synonyms
  • Chromis sparrmanii (A. Smith, 1840)
  • Chromys moffatii Castelnau, 1861
  • Chromis ovalis Steindachner, 1866
  • Tilapia ovalis (Steindachner, 1866)
  • Tilapia fouloni Boulenger, 1905
  • Tilapia deschauenseei Fowler, 1931

Tilapia sparrmanii, the banded tilapia, or vlei kurper, is a widespread and adaptable cichlid fish that is found in warmer freshwater habitats of southern Africa. They prefer water with ample plant cover, and occur naturally as far north as DR Congo and Tanzania.[1][2] They have been introduced locally in the northern hemisphere. Younger banded tilapia feed on crustaceans and insect larvae, while the adults feed on terrestrial and aquatic plants and other debris. They undertake local migrations and may shoal before and during spawning time. They guard their own eggs, and although they may move eggs or fry in the mouth, they are not known to be actual mouthbrooders like several other tilapia species. This species can reach a length of 23.5 centimetres (9.3 in) TL and is an important foodfish.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Kazembe, J., Marshall, B., Moelants, T. & Tweddle, D. 2010. Tilapia sparrmanii. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 07 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Tilapia sparrmanii" in FishBase. April 2013 version.
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