Blackchin Tilapia

The blackchin tilapia, is pale in colour, that colour varying in shades including light blue, orange and golden yellow which normally has dark patches on the chin of adults. It also normally has dark colouration on the posterior edge of the gill and on the tips of the soft rays of the dorsal fin. The body is typically marked with irregular bars, spots or splotches. It has a small mouth which is equipped with as many as a few hundred tiny teeth which are arranged in 3–6 rows. They display minimal sexual dimorphism with the heads of adult males usually being slightly larger than the heads of females, some males may also show gold tinting on the operculum. The dorsal fin has 15–17 spines and 10–12 soft rays, the anal fin has 3 spines and 8–10 soft rays and the length of caudal peduncle is equal to 0.6–0.9 times its depth. It can grow to a maximum length of 28 centimetres (11 in) but more normally attains 17.5 centimetres (6.9 in).

The blackchin tilapia is native to western Africa from Mauritania to Cameroon. It has been introduced to several countries in Asia, USA and Europe. It has also become an invasive species in Florida, Thailand, and the Philippines.