What is it?

[tjudy]

This was posted over on the AquaMojo site. Anyone (Randall?) got a positive ID on it?

http://208.51.130.220/~mojo/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Photo;action=display;num=1072059540;start=0

 

[Toyin]

It's some type of Tilapia.

 

[Fogelhund]

I searched for some time, and couldn't come up with anything that was 100% positive.

The closest I came up with was Tilapia Rendalli, but that is assuming that this fish is majorly out of colour, and I'm not sure I would like to make that assumption.

 

[Randall]

Tilapiine ID

Hello Ted,

Well, I'd say both Toyin and Fogelhund are on the right track. As for a positive ID, that's a tuffy.

The subject cichlid is a tilapiine for sure. If we can rule out Sarotherodon based on body shape and head profile, that leaves Tilapia and Oreochromis. Based on coloration, I'm leaning towards Tilapia.

The fish depicted lacks the vertical bars on the flanks extending to the caudal peduncle and the red ventral coloration extending from the bottom lip through to the anal fin and lower part of the caudal fin, so I'd rule out Tilapia rendalli. It could be a mature male T. busumana. Do you have any idea where it's from? That would surely help to ID it.

Randall Kohn

 

[Fogelhund]

Can we rule out that this might be one of the farm raised Tilapian crosses that ends up in the supermarkets?

 

[Randall]

The Mystery Tilapia

Can we rule out that this might be one of the farm raised Tilapian crosses that ends up in the supermarkets?

Dear Brett,

With a little lemon, butter and white wine, they're delicious!

R

Dear Ted,

Ariel Bornstein recently visited the forum and read this thread concerning the mystery Tilapia. His thoughts and comments follow.

Here's my opinion - based on the "look" of the fish and the areas fish have been imported from over the past couple years.

If you ask me, the fish is definitely a "true" Tilapia sp. based on the head profile, robust head and jaw structure/shape and somewhat stocky body ... the greenish flank coloration is also a good clue. Getting a truly accurate ID is probably impossible, until the fish dies and someone can dissect it. My guess is that it came in from the DR Congo, either exported as the various "Inongo" Tilapias, or even mixed in with some Pelmatochromis from the same area. Some names to throw around could be tholloni or congica, but it's really just a guess...

I've been dealing with the same issues of trying to ID similar fish, as I'm keeping about 5 different species from the Inongo area now. Those interested may want to take a look at my site and try to match the mystery fish up with one of the various Tilapias on my site.

Thank you, Ariel.

Ariel Bornstein is an extremely knowledgeable, advanced level aquarist who has been in the hobby for many years. He has written for the Buntbarsche Bulletin, the journal of the American Cichlid Association, and maintains an excellent web site with an outstanding photo gallery that includes many rare Pisces species. For those who may be interested, the address is http://www.blackwaterfish.com.

Thank you.

Randall Kohn

 

[tjudy]

Thank you Randall, Ariel and eeryone else who worked on this ID!!!! Your assistance is greatly appreciated.