Oreochromis esculentus

(Graham, 1928)

Vernacular names
English : Singida tilapia
French : Tilapia singida

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Cichliformes (sometimes still Perciformes)
Family : Cichlidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach a total length of 50 cm for a weight of 2.5 kg. Adult males are much bigger and brighter colored than females. Females are silvery with dark fins. Males have red head, flanks and tail, white eyes and black fins.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in eastern Africa, around Kenya and Uganda, in the Lake Victoria drainage and Lake Kanyaboli. Only survives in satellite lakes. Lives in sheltered bays and gulfs with muddy bottom, less than 20 meters deep.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Not Listed
Status : Because of overfishing and predation by introduced species, the species has disappeared from most lakes and all remnant populations are threatened. Thanks to conservation breeding programs, the species has so far been saved from extinction.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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