38. Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852) ― Mozambique Tilapia― Exotic

Taxonomy. Original description: Chromis (Tilapia) mossambicus Peters,1852:681 [ Zambezi River, Mozambique (East Africa);. Syntypes: BMNH [ex Peters] 1861.5.2.58-59 (2), FMNH 54267 [ex CM 2898] (2) Mosambique; ZMB 2805-06 (2, 1), 16035 (3), 31564 (15)]. Synonyms: Tilapia arnoldi Gilchrist & Thompson, 1917:497; Labrodascyllus cimballii Di Caporiacco, 1948; Chromis dumerilii Steindachner, 1864; Chromis natalensis Weber, 1897; Chromis vorax Pfeffer, 1893 .

Status in the Arabian Peninsula. First record from Saudi Arabia by Al-Kahem-Al-Balawi et al. (2008), and from UAE, and Yemen by Freyhof et al. (2020).

General distribution. Southeastern Africa; introduced widely elsewhere. Habitat: freshwater, brackish.

Distribution in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen: It is widely introduced.

Economic importance. Commercially important.

Reasons of introduction. Aquaculture/research.

Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).