Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus)

Oladipo, Segun Olayinka, Everett, Amaya, Atofarati, Olabisi Tawakalit, Smith, Kennedy K., Nneji, Ifeanyi C., Adelakun, Kehinde Moruf & Nneji, Lotanna Micah, 2025, An updated ichthyofaunal checklist for the Nigerian Lagos Lagoon with notes on nomenclatural changes and the conservation status of species, Zootaxa 5646 (1), pp. 38-62 : 54

Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus) ;

Nile tilapia ( Figure 2K )

Remarks: Oreochromis niloticus , synonymized with Perca nilotica (Linnaeus) and Tilapia nilotica (Linnaeus) , was a common catch across all sampling locations during the study. This species is widely distributed in freshwater habitats across West and Central Africa, with additional occurrences in brackish waters in Nigeria and Ghana. Oreochromis niloticus features a compressed body, with the depth of the caudal peduncle equal to its length. The caudal fin is marked by regular vertical black stripes.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Representative pictures (A–L) of some newly collected fish species from the Nigerian Lagos Lagoon (A) Fontitrygon margaritella (Compagno & Roberts); (B) Strongylura senegalensis (Valenciennes); (C) Caranx fischeri (Smith- Vaniz & Carpenter); (D) Chloroscombrus chrysurus (Linnaeus); (E) Selene dorsalis (Gill); (F) Trachinotus falcatus (Linnaeus); (G) Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus); (H) Heterotis niloticus (Cuvier); (I) Marcusenius brucii (Boulenger); (J) Coptodon zillii (Gervais); (K) Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus); and (L) Citharinus citharus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire). Photo credit and Identification: Dr. S.O. Oladipo.