The tilapia are a highly diverse group of more than
70 species (Trewavas, 1983) that represent a significant
proportion of the fish fauna of the African Great
Lakes.
These species are commonly divided into three
genera, the substrate spawning Tilapia species, and the
mouthbrooding Sarotherodon and Oreochromis species
(Trewavas, 1983).
In common with the general
situation in fish, only a limited number of the known
tilapia species have been karyotyped, with the existing
evidence suggesting that the tilapia karyotype
is highly conserved (Majumdar & McAndrew, 1986;
Klinkhardt, Tesche & Greven, 1995) and that the
species are closely related.