A ccording to Wikipedia" this article is about the fish that fall under the term tilapia in common usage. For species belonging to the genus Tilapia, see Tilapia (genus) . Tilapia Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus niloticus ) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Cichlidae Subfamily: Pseudocrenilabrinae Tribe: Tilapiini Genera Oreochromis (about 30 species) Sarotherodon (over 10 species) Tilapia (about 40 species) and see text Tilapia ( / t ɨ ˈ l ɑː p i ə / ti- lah -pee-ə ), is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe . Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the Levant , and are of increasing importance in aquaculture . Tilapia can be...