39. Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) ― Nile Tilapia― Exotic

Taxonomy. Original description: Perca nilotica Linnaeus, 1758:290 [ from Nile River; Holotype:? NRM LP 10 ]. Synonyms: Chromis triacantha Bowdich, 1825; Tilapia calciati Gianferrari, 1924; Tilapia regani Poll, 1932; Tilapia vulcani Trewavas, 1933; Tilapia inducta Trewavas, 1933 .

Status in the Arabian Peninsula. Recorded from Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, and Yemen (Al-Kahem-Al-Balawi et al. 2008, Freyhof et al. 2020, and Esmaeili et al. 2022).

General distribution. North and East Africa. Widely introduced elsewhere, including Mississippi and Florida (U.S.A.), Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Argentina, Madagascar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and southern Japan. Habitat: freshwater, brackish.

Distribution in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, and Yemen: It is widely distributed and established in Wadis and Aflaj.

Economic importance. Locally commercially important.

Reasons of introduction. Aquaculture, research, and mosquito control.

Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).