Summary
The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a species of tilapia, a cichlid fish native to parts of Africa and the Levant, particularly Israel and Lebanon. Numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range. It is also commercially known as mango fish (not to be confused with mango tilapia, or Sarotherodon galilaeus), nilotica, or boulti. The Nile tilapia reaches up to in length, and can exceed . As typical of tilapia, males reach a larger size and grow faster than females. Wild, natural-type Nile tilapias are brownish or grayish overall, often with indistinct banding on their body, and the tail is vertically striped. When breeding, males become reddish, especially on their fins. It is commonly confused with the blue tilapita (O. aureus); that species lacks the striped tail pattern, has a red edge to the dorsal fin (this edge is gray or black in Nile tilapia), and males are bluish overall when breeding. The two species can also be separated by meristics. Because many tilapia in aquaculture and introduced around the world are selectively bred variants and/or hybrids, identifying them using the standard features that can be used in the wild, natural types is often not possible. The virtually unknown O. ismailiaensis has a plain tail, but otherwise closely resembles (and may only be a variant of) the Nile tilapia. Regardless, O. ismailiaensis might be extinct, as its only known habitat in northeastern Egypt has disappeared, although similar-looking individuals (perhaps the same) are known from the vicinity. Nile tilapia can live for more than 10 years. The Nile tilapia is native to larger parts of Africa, except Maghreb and almost all of Southern Africa. It is native to tropical West Africa, the Lake Chad basin, and much of the Nile system, including lakes Tana, Albert and Edward–George, as well as lakes Kivu, Tanganyika, and Turkana, and the Awash and Omo Rivers. In Israel, it is native to coastal river basins. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, both in Africa and other continents, including tens of countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
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