blue tilapia
Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner, 1864)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) is a species of tilapia, a fish in the family Cichlidae. Native to Northern and Western Africa, and the Middle East, through introductions it is now also established elsewhere, including parts of the United States, where it has been declared an invasive species and has caused significant environmental damage. It is known as the blue kurper in South Africa.
Wikipedia contributors, Oreochromis aureus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:56:54.001686+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner, 1864)
- Name authority
- (Steindachner, 1864)
- Common name
- blue tilapia
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Oreochromis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCichliformes
- familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyPseudocrenilabrinae Fowler, 1934
- genusOreochromis Günther, 1889
- speciesOreochromis aureus (Steindachner, 1864)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oreochromis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Oreochromis korogwe (Lowe, 1955) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis esculentus (Graham, 1928) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis grahami (Boulenger, 1912) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis shiranus Boulenger, 1897 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mozambique tilapiaOreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis amphimelas (Hilgendorf, 1905) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis leucostictus (Trewavas, 1933) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis ismailiaensis Mekkawy, 1995 | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis jipe (Lowe, 1955) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis upembae (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1964) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis macrochir (Boulenger, 1912) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oreochromis cancellatus (Nichols, 1923) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tilapia kacherbi Wunder, 1960 Wunder, 1960 | synonym |
| Tilapia monodi Daget, 1954 Daget, 1954 | synonym |
| Tilapia nilotica exul Steinitz, 1951 Steinitz, 1951 | synonym |
| Oreochromis aurea (Steindachner, 1864) (Steindachner, 1864) | synonym |
| Tilapia kashabi Elster, 1958 Elster, 1958 | synonym |
| Tilapia aurea (Steindachner, 1864) (Steindachner, 1864) | synonym |
| Chromis aureus Steindachner, 1864 Steindachner, 1864 | synonym |
| Oreochromis auraeus (Steindachner, 1864) (Steindachner, 1864) | synonym |
| Sarotherodon aureum (Steindachner, 1864) (Steindachner, 1864) | synonym |
| Sarotherodon aureus (Steindachner, 1864) (Steindachner, 1864) | synonym |
| Tilapia lemassoni Blache & Miton, 1960 Blache & Miton, 1960 | synonym |
| Tilapia aurea exul Steinitz, 1951 Steinitz, 1951 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=279196 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:74T3H. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.