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What the sources say

Nile TilapiaOreochromis niloticus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Nile Tilapia profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 40 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Diallo et al. 2023

Diallo et al. (2023). Oreochromis niloticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T166975A244856058.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: stats.conservationStatus; assessed 2020 (FishBase: Date assessed 06 April 2020), published as the 2023-1 DOI; category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List

Source
02

FishBase

Oreochromis niloticus, Nile tilapia. FishBase.

The page saysA mouth-brooding cichlid
The source saysA maternal mouthbrooder (Ref. 2 , 28714 , 52307 , 118638 ), males dig simple pits in shallow waterNote: tagline
The page saysRivers, lakes, sewage canals and irrigation channels
The source saysAdults occur in a wide variety of freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, sewage canals and irrigation channelsNote: stats.habitat
The page saysnative to the Nile basin, other parts of Africa and coastal rivers of Israel, and widely introduced
The source saysnaturally occurring in coastal rivers of Israel (Ref. 5166 ), Nile basin (including lake Albert, Edward and Tana) ... Widely introduced for aquacultureNote: stats.habitat
The page saysMainly phytoplankton and benthic algae, plus insect larvae and detritus.
The source saysThey feed mainly on phytoplankton or benthic algae. Additionally, insect larvae are of some importance, as are aufwuchs and detritusNote: stats.diet
The page saysthe female carries up to 200 eggs in her mouth until the larvae have absorbed their yolk sacs
The source saysFemale carries up to 200 eggs in her mouth where the larvae hatch and remain until after the yolk-sac is absorbed.Note: stats.superpower
The page sayscarry their eggs and young inside their own mouths, a habit called mouthbrooding
The source saysFemales incubate eggs inside their mouths (approximately for a week) where larvae hatch and remain until the vitellus is reabsorvedNote: 'mouthbrooding' as the source's own term
The page saysmouthbrooding
The source saysA maternal mouthbrooderNote: 'mouthbrooding' as the source's own term
The page saysThe male digs a simple pit in shallow water
The source saysmales dig simple pits in shallow water
The page saysdefends the territory around it, and the females come to him
The source saysMales set up and defend territory which are visited by the females.
The page saysCourtship lasts several hours.
The source saysCourtship lasts several hours.
The page saysThe eggs are shed in batches and fertilized by the male
The source saysEggs are shed in batches in shallow nest and fertilized by male.
The page saysthe female scoops each batch into her mouth
The source saysEach batch of eggs is picked up into oral cavity by female.
The page saysShe holds up to 200 eggs there, and the larvae hatch inside and stay until their yolk sacs
The source saysFemale carries up to 200 eggs in her mouth where the larvae hatch and remain until after the yolk-sac is absorbed.
The page saysThe female looks after the brood on her own.
The source saysFemales solely involved in broodcare.
The page saysAdults reach up to 60 cm in standard length
The source saysMax length : 60.0 cm SL male/unsexed
The page saysThe maximum published weight is 4.3 kg, and the oldest reported age is 9 years.
The source saysmax. published weight: 4.3 kg (Ref. 40637 ); max. reported age: 9 years
The page saysSexual maturity arrives at 3 to 6 months depending on temperature, at about 30 g
The source saysSexual maturity is reached at 3-6 months depending on temperature, reaching about 30 g.
The page saysspawning happens several times a year
The source saysSeveral yearly spawnings every 30 days.
The page saysThey feed mainly on phytoplankton (tiny drifting algae) or algae growing on the bottom, with some insect larvae.
The source saysThey feed mainly on phytoplankton or benthic algae. Additionally, insect larvae are of some importance
The page saysThey are mainly active by day, handle brackish water, and do not do well in pure salt water.
The source saysThey do not do well in pure salt water, but able to survive in brackish water (Ref. 52307 ). Mainly diurnal.
The page saysThe Nile tilapia is native to the Nile basin, Lake Tanganyika and other African lakes and rivers, to West African basins such as the Niger and Senegal, and to coastal rivers of Israel.
The source saysnaturally occurring in coastal rivers of Israel (Ref. 5166 ), Nile basin (including lake Albert, Edward and Tana), Jebel Marra, Lake Kivu, Lake Tanganyika ... In West Africa natural distribution covers the basins of the Senegal, Gambia, Volta, Niger, Benue and Chad
The page saysintroduced widely for fish farming
The source saysWidely introduced for aquaculture
The page saysFishBase gives a maximum standard length of 60 cm and a maximum published weight of 4.3 kg.
The source saysMax length : 60.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4967 ); max. published weight: 4.3 kg
The page saysThe oldest age FishBase reports is 9 years.
The source saysmax. reported age: 9 years

Source
03

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia). USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

The page saysIn the United States it was likely released or escaped from fish farms
The source saysIt was introduced into open waters, likely through escape or release from fish farms.
The page saysin Nevada and Arizona its introduction led to the decline of the endangered Moapa dace and Moapa White River springfish
The source saysIn Nevada and Arizona, the introduction of O. niloticus has resulted in the decline of endangered Moapa Dace and Moapa White River Springfish
The page saysIt can be. Where it has been introduced in the United States, the US Geological Survey says Nile tilapia compete with native fish and are known to eat amphibians and the young of other fish.
The source saysNile Tilapia exert competition pressures on native fish and are known to prey on amphibians and juveniles of other fish speciesNote: faq 3; scoped to the US source

Source
04

Li et al. 2015

Li et al. (2015). A Tandem Duplicate of Anti-Müllerian Hormone with a Missense SNP on the Y Chromosome Is Essential for Male Sex Determination in Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. PLOS Genetics.

The page saysa Y-chromosome gene proved essential for maleness
The source saysa Y-linked duplicate of the anti-Mullerian hormone ( amhy ) is essential for male sex determination in tilapiaNote: tagline
The page saysin one lab strain
The source saysdemonstrated to be critical for male sex determination in our strainNote: tagline; the study's own strain, a lab population founded from Egyptian fish
The page saysmales carried a gene called amhy, a copy of the gene amh that is specific to the Y chromosome
The source saysamhy , a Y-specific duplicate of the anti-Müllerian hormone ( amh ) gene
The page saysIn a 2015 study of one lab strain
The source sayswas found and demonstrated to be critical for male sex determination in our strainNote: 2015 is the paper's year; 'lab strain': the founder strain was obtained from the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, NIBB, and the fish were kept under the Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
The page saysResearchers used gene editing to knock out amhy in XY fish, and the fish turned into females
The source saysCRISPR/Cas9 knockout of amhy in XY fish resulted in male to female sex reversal
The page saysMaking extra Amhy in XX fish did the reverse.
The source saysoverexpression of Amhy in XX fish ... resulted in female to male sex reversal
The page saysThe authors call amhy the candidate sex-determining gene in their strain
The source saysamhy is considered as the candidate sex determining gene in this strain of the Nile tilapia
The page sayssay other strains may have different ones
The source saysit is possible that different strain possesses different sex chromosome and different SD genes

Source
05

Castro et al. 2009

Castro et al. (2009). Visual communication stimulates reproduction in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.). Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research.

The page saysmales with visual contact averaged 24.79 courtship events per 30 minutes
The source saysVisual communication enhanced the frequency of courtship in males (mean +/- SEM; V: 24.79 +/- 3.30, Ch+V: 20.74 +/- 3.09, Ch: 0.1 +/- 0.07, Iso: 4.68 +/- 1.26 events/30 minNote: V = visual contact; Ch = chemical contact
The page saysMales with chemical contact alone averaged 0.1.
The source saysVisual communication enhanced the frequency of courtship in males (mean +/- SEM; V: 24.79 +/- 3.30, Ch+V: 20.74 +/- 3.09, Ch: 0.1 +/- 0.07, Iso: 4.68 +/- 1.26 events/30 minNote: Ch = chemical contact only
The page saysIn a lab test of 56 pairs
The source saysFifty-six pairs were studiedNote: 56 = Fifty-six
The page says14 in each of four setups
The source saysmaintained for 5 days under one of the four conditions (N = 14 for each condition)Note: the 56 pairs were split across four conditions, so each average is from 14 pairs

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.