Referred to in the Bible, pictured on the wall-friezes of ancient
Egyptian tombs, and a subject of fascination for generations of
scientists, the tilapias (Cichlidae: Tilapiini) have featured in the
diet and culture of humankind for thousands of years. The present
century has seen their spread from Africa throughout the tropics and
sub-tropics, largely for food and fisheries purposes.
This book attempts to pull together our knowledge of this important
group - their biology and fisheries and aquaculture - in a single
volume, something that has not been done comprehensively for nearly two
decades. A succession of chapters by acknowledged authorities covers
evolution, phylogenetic relationships and biogeography, reproductive
biology, mating systems and parental care, diet, feeding and digestive
physiology, environmental physiology and energetics, the role of
tilapias in ecosystems, population dynamics and management, genetics,
seed production, nutrition, farming, economics and marketing. The book
is aimed at biologists, fisheries scientists, aquaculturists, and all
interested in aquatic ecology.