Tilapiine cichlid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tilapia buttikoferi in an aquarium
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
|
The Tilapiini is a tribe within the family Cichlidae commonly known as tilapiine cichlids and generally held to contain the diverse and economically important genera Oreochromis, Sarotherodon, and Tilapia as well as number of smaller genera, specifically Danakilia, Iranocichla, Pelmatochromis, Pterochromis, Steatocranus, and Tristamella. The tilapiines were recognised by the ichthyologist Ethylwynn Trewavas. [1] As a group, these fish are sometimes referred to as tilapias, though that term more frequently refers to only the commercially important genera Oreochromis, Sarotherodon, and Tilapia. Additionally, the colloquial name "tilapia" can easily be confused with the the genus Tilapia in particular.
Recent DNA based analyses, however, suggest that the Tilapiini is not monophyletic. Klett and Meyer (2002) demonstrated that some tilapiine cichlids, such as Tilapia mariae, Tilapia sparrmanii, the genera Iranocichla, Oreochromis, Sarotherodon and Tristamella, are more closely related to non tilapiine tribes (eg: Lamprologinii, Tropheinii) than they are to other Tilapia species (eg: T. buttikoferi, T. zillii).
[edit] Diversity of breeding behaviour
Like other cichlids, tilapiines exhibit complex reproductive behaviours and guard their eggs and fry. Broadly speaking, tilapiines of the genus Tilapia are substratum spawning cichlids, meaning that they form pairs, lay the eggs on the substrate, and then both parents guard the eggs and fry. Oreochromis and Sarotherodon are mouthbrooders, carrying the eggs and fry in their mouths instead of placing them in a nest. All species of Oreochromis are maternal mouthbrooders, meaning that only the female looks after the eggs and fry, with the male offering no protection or help at all. Instead, the male Oreochromis form leks where they compete with one another for further opportunities to mate with females. By contrast, most Sarotherodon species are biparental mouthbrooders, with both parents protecting the eggs and fry. A few Sarotherodon, such as Sarotherodon melanotheron, are paternal mouthbrooders, with only the male caring for the eggs and fry.
[edit] See also
- Tilapia
- Tilapia in aquaculture
- Tilapia as exotic species
- Genus Tilapia
- Genus Sarotherodon
- Genus Oreochromis
[edit] References
- E. Trewavas (1983) Tilapiine fishes of the genera Sarotherodon, Oreochromis and Danakilia. Published by the British Museum (Natural History), London. 583 pages. ISBN 0-565-00878-1.
- Klett and Meyer (2002) What, if Anything, is a Tilapia? Mitochondrial ND2 Phylogeny of Tilapiines and the Evolution of Parental Care Systems in the African Cichlid Fishes. Molecular Biology and Evolution 19:865-883.
