Kurper or mud bream (South Africa), Ikun mujair or Miracle fish. (Indonesia). ... Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa.It has been ... Tilapia vorax (Pfeffer 1893).
Pest fish profiles Oreochromis mossambicus - Mozambique tilapia Overview Detailed information
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Synonyms Classification Appearance Taxonomic description Size Natural & introduced distrubition Diet Reproduction Ecological tolerances Ecological impacts
Glossary References Contact details Common names: Mozambique tilapia. Also known as Mozambique mouthbrooder, Kurper or mud bream (South Africa), Ikun mujair or Miracle fish (Indonesia).
p.2 p.2 p.2 p.2 p.2 p.3 p.4 p.5 p.6 p.8 p.8 p. 12 crustaceans, molluscs and will opportunistically feed on fish eggs and small fish. Reproduction: O. mossambicus is a polygynous, sexually dimorphic, maternal mouthbrooder. Mature males aggregate at the start of the breeding season in shallow margins of waterbodies and establish courtship arenas (leks). Each male digs a shallow circular pit which is aggressively defended and used for display to attract a receptive female. After fertilisation of eggs within the pit, the female collects the eggs in her mouth and establishes a brooding territory elsewhere Reproduction is regulated by temperature with spawning thresholds for the species reported between 18° and 25°C. Spawning is aseasonal in higher, subtropical latitudes (4-6 months), about 9-10 months in the tropics and virtually continuous in equatorial regions where temperatures remain year-round above at least 24°C.
Appearance: There are two forms of Mozambique tilapia present in northern Queensland: the "pure form" found in the Townsville-Thuringowa region and a hybrid form, found in the Cairns region, Atherton Tablelands and the Burdekin River system. Both forms are deepbodied with almost symmetrical, tapered extensions to the rear edge of the single dorsal and anal fins. These fin extensions are longer in males than in females. The jaws of sexually mature males of both forms are enlarged with the upper profile of the head often concave. Size: The typical size range (TL) reported for adult male O. mossambicus is 30 - 44cm from tropical/ subtropical regions where conditions are within the species' normal tolerance ranges. Adult females are smaller and, under similar conditions, range approximately in size from 25-33 cm. Under more extreme conditions at the limits of its range or in stressful environments (eg. shallow drying pools, marginal habitats), the species can mature at a small size (stunting), and the maximum size range for males can be between 10-30cm TL.
Brood size is related to female body size and can range between a few hundred for stunted (early maturing) females to between 2000 and 4000 for large females > 25cm SL. The species is a multiple spawner and can produce several broods during a season, the frequency strongly influenced by temperature - spawning intervals have been reported of between 30 and 40 days, resulting in about 5 broods in subtropical regions and about 8-10 broods in the tropics. Because of the reproductive mode, survivorship of eggs and fry can be very high, with rates (at least under laboratory conditions) reported of between 50 and 95%, thus allowing for very rapid population increase under favourable conditions.
Natural and introduced distribution: It occurs in coastal regions eastern Africa between 33°S lat and 17°S lat. Including Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa.It has been introduced into at least 90 countries including Australia, where it occurs in two states: Western Australia and Queensland.
Ecological tolerances: Can survive high and low temperatures, high salinity, low oxygen and high and low pH.
Habitat: Inhabits slow flowing rivers and streams and still water habitats such as lakes and lagoons and in both fresh and brackish waters. A population has even established on a marine atol in the central Pacific. A 'type' habitat of the species is the lower Zambezi River, central Mozambique (eastern Africa, 18° 46'S) which is virtually on the same latitude as Ingham (18° 43'S).
Ecological impacts: The highly invasive O. mossambicus has been implicated in the decline or disappearance of resident species from freshwater, estuarine and marine habitats in several countries following its introduction. It can have negative impacts on aquatic communities through grazing or predation, interference competition (overcrowding) for food and space, as a vector of disease-causing pathogens, or by activities which lead to changes in the abiotic environment (e.g., loss of water quality which may affect survivorship of resident species).
Diet: Mozambique tilapia consumes a wide range of food items, although it is predominantly a benthic feeder on plant material including filamentous and unicellular algae, water weeds, terrestrial plants and organic detritus. It will also consume cyanobacteria, aquatic invertebrates such as insect larvae, small >1
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