Oreochromis variabilis

(Boulenger, 1906)

Vernacular names
English : Victoria tilapia
French : Tilapia du Lac Victoria

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

Identification
Adults can reach a length up to 30 cm, males being generally bigger. Body more slender and cylindrical, elongated head with thin lips. Coloration is silvery grey, becoming darker towards tail. Black eyes. Red and silvery margins on fins.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in eastern Africa, around Kenya and Uganda, and is endemic to Lake Victoria drainage and the major rivers flowing to and out of the lake. Lives around exposed sandy shores with considerable water movement, down to 40 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species has been eliminated from most of its range by habitat destruction and predation by introduced species. Remaining populations fragmented. Targeted by successful conservation programs.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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