Oreochromis macrochir
Cichlidae · freshwater water fish
2 minute read · Species guide
Oreochromis macrochir (longfin tilapia, greenhead tilapia, or greenhead bream) is a species of cichlid native to the Zambezi Basin, Lake Mweru, and Lake Bangweulu. It has been used extensively for stocking ponds and dams in other parts of southern Africa, but is little-used elsewhere. In Lake Mweru, it is economically the most important fish. The fish was introduced into Lake Alaotra in Madagascar in 1954, and proliferated quickly. By 1957, it provided 46% of the catch, perhaps because it was moving into an empty ecological niche as a phytophagous species.
This species reaches a maximum length of 43 cm (17 in). It lives in fresh water at a depth of 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) in tropical climates with average temperatures between 18 and 35 °C (64 and 95 °F).
Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Oreochromis macrochir (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
A commonly used name is Tilapia macrochir. Distinguishing characteristics, a key, and illustrations were given by Trewavas (1983), and by Skelton (1993). Distinguishing characteristics and a figure also were given by Eccles (1992). Color photographs of fish were given by Axelrod (1993). Maximum size: 40 cm (Skelton 1993).
Africa. Sections of south central Africa including Cunene, Okavango, upper Zambezi and Kafue rivers (Trewavas 1983; Skelton 1993).
Fish apparently were bred in captivity before being released into the wild, ca. 1958 (Maciolek 1984); this was considered a deliberate introduction (Devick 1991a).
The overabundance of tilapias in at least one Hawaiian reservoir has possibly had the effect of suppressing production of desirable sport fishes (Devick 1972).
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