Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Cichlidae (Cichlids) > Pseudocrenilabrinae
Etymology: Oreochromis: Latin, aurum = gold + Greek, chromis = a fish, perhaps a perch (Ref. 45335).

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic; depth range 4 - 49 m. Tropical; 24°C - 28°C (Ref. 2059), preferred ?

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Africa: Lake Victoria and its affluent rivers; the Victoria Nile above the Murchison Falls; Lakes Kyoga, Kwania and Salisbury (Ref. 5166). It is strongly declining or has disappeared in many areas of the Lake Victoria drainage (Ref. 52331).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 30.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 34290)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 16 - 18; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 29 - 31. Margin of the dorsal fin orange in females and non-breeding males; intense orange to scarlet in breeding males. Profile convex immediately before the eye. Usually 2 rows of scales on cheek. Caudal not heavily scaled. Preserved specimens often show 2-3 vague dark mid-lateral blotches and one on top of the peduncle. Body color grey-green (Ref.4967).

Occurs at temperatures ranging from 23.0-28.0 °C (Ref. 3). Occasionally forms schools. Is mainly diurnal. Adults feed predominantly on bottom algae, some of the planktonic organisms that are found in their stomachs are probably those which have settled on the bottom or were washed shorewards from open waters but they do feed directly on plankton (Ref. 2).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Nests are built on sandy bottoms in shallow waters. Each nest consists of a central shallow saucer 13-15 cm in diameter, around which is a circle of small pits. This structure is the center of a larger pit, 30-39 cm in diameter. Breeding pair makes the T-stand. Female lays batches of eggs; picks them up and sucks at the male's genital tassel.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Kullander, Sven O. | Collaborators

Trewavas, E., 1983. Tilapiine fishes of the genera Sarotherodon, Oreochromis and Danakilia. British Mus. Nat. Hist., London, UK. 583 p. (Ref. 2)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Critically Endangered (CR) (B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v))

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: experimental; aquarium: commercial

FAO(Publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Oreochromis variabilis (Boulenger, 1906)