Tilapiine cichlid

Tilapia sparrmanii, the type species of the genus Tilapia.

The Tilapiini are a tribe of cichlids ( Cichlidae ) are counted in the three genera. Tilapiini species are widespread in Africa south of the equator. The distribution area includes three separate parts. The largest include the southern Congo Basin from Kwango to Luvua, the Lake Mweru and the Luapula, far South of the Kunene over the Okavango River and the Zambezi to the Limpopo, in the east to Lake Malawi, the Zambian Bangweulusee. The area also includes Lake Ngami south of the Okavango delta, the Guinassee and Otjikotosee, two karstic lakes in northern Namibia and the northern tributaries of the Orange River. A second area with Tilapiini deposits lies in the central Congo basin ( genus Congolapia ), the third and smallest in the south of Gabon and the Republic of Congo.

Features

A diagnostic feature of the tribe is the structure of the apophysis at the base of the skull, which articulates with the upper Pharyngealknochen. Your facets are formed solely by the parasphenoid at the Tilapiini. All Tilapiini are substrate spawners.

Genera

The Tilapiini today are only seven species in three genera after the former species-rich genus Tilapia remained only the four species of the genus Tilapia and raised the other subgenus to the rank of independent genera and new tribes have been assigned.

• Chilochromis ( 1 species )
• Congolapia ( 3 types)
• Tilapia ( type genus )

Outer systematics

The Tilapiini are the sister group of the tribe Steatocranini and are consistent with this basal to the species-rich East African radiation of Macropodusinae, which includes almost all of the great African lakes cichlids (see here).