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Oreochromis placidus

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA ACTINOPTERYGII PERCIFORMES CICHLIDAE

Scientific Name: Oreochromis placidus
Species Authority: (Trewavas, 1941)
Infra-specific Taxa Assessed:
Common Name/s:
English Black Tilapia
Taxonomic Notes: In this assessment, O. placidus is considered distinct from O. rovumae.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern     ver 3.1
Year Published: 2007
Assessor/s: Bills, R., Engelbrecht, J., Cambray, J. & Marshall, B.E.
Reviewer/s: Snoeks, J. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Unit)
Justification:
Widespread and common in suitable habitats of large rivers of the Mozambique coastal plain. Extends into Zimbabwe in the Save River system and the lower Shire in Malawi. No major threats known.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: Coastal plain rivers of the east African coast from the Mkuze River in KwaZulu-Natal to Lindi, southern Tanzania. In Zimbabwe it occurs in the lower Save-Runde system and lower sections of some Zambezian tributaries e.g., the Mazowe (Bell-Cross and Minshull 1988).
Countries:
Native:
Malawi; Mozambique; South Africa; Tanzania, United Republic of
Reintroduced:
Zimbabwe
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population Trend: Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: In the lower Zambezi it was collected in slow flowing sections of main channel habitats and not marginal lagoons. Has been reported only from freshwaters and low altitudes and so its salinity tolerances are probably narrower than O. mossambicus.
Systems: Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): The spread of O. niloticus is a potential threat although interbreeding between the two species has not yet been reported.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: Possibly maintenance of pure stocks in refuge areas. Control of the spread of O. niloticus.
Citation: Bills, R., Engelbrecht, J., Cambray, J. & Marshall, B.E. 2007. Oreochromis placidus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012.
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