Oreochromini is a

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

cichlid Cichlids () are a large, diverse, and widespread family of percomorph fish in the family Cichlidae, order Cichliformes. At least 1,760 species have been scientifically described, making it one of the largest vertebrate families, with on ...

s in the

Pseudocrenilabrinae The Pseudocrenilabrinae are a subfamily in the cichlid family of fishes to which, according to a study from 2004, includes all the Middle Eastern and African cichlids with the exception of the unusual '' Heterochromis multidens'' and the Malaga ...

subfamily that is native to Africa and

Western Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

, but a few species have been widely introduced to other parts of the world. It was formerly considered to be part of the tribe Tilapiini but more recent workers have found that the Tilapiini ''

sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'' is

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

. Despite this change, species in Oreochromini are still referred to by the common name

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...

and some of the most important tilapia in aquaculture —certain species of '' Oreochromis'' and ''

Sarotherodon ''Sarotherodon'' is a genus of oreochromine cichlids that are native to the northern half of Africa (south as far as the Congo River basin), with a single species, ''S. galilaeus'', also ranging into the Levant. A couple of species from this ge ...

''— are part of this tribe. In contrast, several species have small ranges and are seriously threatened; a few are already

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

('' Tristramella sacra'') or possibly extinct ('' Oreochromis ismailiaensis'' and '' O. lidole''). Cichlids in the tribe ''Oreochromini'' are mouthbrooders, carrying the eggs and fry in their mouths instead of placing them in a nest. The numerous ''Oreochromis'' species are maternal mouthbrooders, meaning only the female looks after the eggs and fry, with the male offering no protection or help at all. Instead, they form leks where they compete with one another for further opportunities to mate with females. By contrast, most of the fewer ''Sarotherodon'' species are biparental mouthbrooders, with both parents protecting the eggs and fry. A few, such as '' S. melanotheron'', are paternal mouthbrooders, with only the male caring for the eggs and fry. In addition, some species usually placed in ''Oreochromis'' might belong into ''Sarotherodon''. Either this is incorrect due to hybridization effects, or they are not maternal mouthbrooders, or the diversity of brood care is even higher among these cichlids than hitherto believed.

Genera

The following genera are classified within the Oreochromini: * '' Alcolapia'' Thys van den Audenaerde, 1969 * '' Danakilia'' Thys van den Audenaerde, 1969 * '' Iranocichla'' Coad, 1982 * '' Konia'' Trewavas, 1972 * '' Myaka'' Trewavas, 1972 * '' Oreochromis'' Günther, 1889 * '' Pungu'' Trewavas, 1972 * ''

'' Rüppell, 1852 * '' Stomatepia'' Trewavas, 1962 * ''

Tristramella ''Tristramella'' is a genus of oreochromines, freshwater fishes in the cichlid family. The members of this genus prefer standing waters and their native range is restricted to the Jordan River system, including Lake Tiberias (Kinneret), in Israel ...

'' Trewavas, 1942

References

{{Taxonbar, From=Q15837688 Pseudocrenilabrinae Fish tribes