blackchin tilapia
Sarotherodon melanotheron Rüppell, 1852
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 blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron), formerly Tilapia melanotheron, T. heudelotii and T. leonensis, is a species of cichlid native to coastal west Africa. It is a paternal mouthbrooder which has been introduced to Asia and North America.
In the Philippines, it is also informally called gloria or tilapiang arroyo after former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo because of its small size and mole-like dark pigmentation under its lower jaw, resembling that of the short stature and mole on the former president's left cheek.
Wikipedia contributors, Blackchin tilapia; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:38:41.593487+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sarotherodon melanotheron Rüppell, 1852
- Name authority
- Rüppell, 1852
- Common name
- blackchin tilapia
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Sarotherodon
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · 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
- genusSarotherodon Rüppell, 1852
- speciesSarotherodon melanotheron Rüppell, 1852
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sarotherodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Sarotherodon linnellii (Lönnberg, 1903) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sarotherodon nigripinnis (Guichenot, 1861) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| tilapiaSarotherodon galilaeus (Linnaeus, 1758) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sarotherodon lohbergeri (Holly, 1930) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sarotherodon mvogoi (Thys van den Audenaerde, 1965) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sarotherodon steinbachi (Trewavas, 1962) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sarotherodon niger | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
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.
- Rüppell, W. P. E. S. (1852). Verzeichniss der in dem Museum der Senckenbergischen naturforschenden Gesellschaft aufgestellten Sammlungen. Vierte Abtheilung: Fische Und Deren Skelette. Frankfurt Am Main., . i–iv + 1–40. 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:79PHB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.