The tilapia is a flat-bodied fish with a silvery-blue body. They inhabit brackish or freshwater environments. They come from Africa, even if American cooking has made them popular.
Nevertheless, tilapia remains one of the most often consumed fish in the US. Most large grocery stores carry it in addition to salmon, cod, and bass.
However, there are other fish that similar to tilapia, and many of the parallels extend beyond palate. Many fish, such as tilapia, live in freshwater habitats or raise their young in their mouths.
There is a commonality among these 19 distinct fish: tilapia.
1. Atlantic Cod
Scientific name: Gadus morhua
Similarity: A popular food fish throughout the U.S. Having a discernible lateral line and a modest flavor.
The Atlantic cod holds great significance as a food fish both domestically and internationally. Cod is a common product of American fisheries, but anglers also capture them for fun.
Another highly popular fish for cultivation is similar to tilapia, which tastes a lot like cod. Because of how similar in flavor and texture they are, it’s standard practice to substitute the two in different recipes.
To aid in their underwater navigation and foraging, these fish also have a lateral line sensory system. The lateral line is easily noticeable in cod and tilapia.
It goes all the way through their trunk and out of their brain.
2. Atlantic Salmon
Scientific name: Salmo salar
Similarity:a flat fish, similar to tilapia, that is widely farmed for food worldwide.
Because it is the only species of fish that is indigenous to the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic salmon receives its name. The United States outlawed fishing for pleasure and profit. Still, they rank among the most popular edible fish in the United States, right up there with tilapia.
Additionally, Atlantic salmon and tilapia have flat bodies. However, the salmon’s is a little bit longer.
3. Atlantic Shadefish
Scientific name: Argyrosomus regius
Similarity: The entire trunk of tilapia and shadefish is marked with prominent lateral lines.
Similar to tilapia, shadefish belong to the Perciformes order of fish. The Actinopterygii class, sometimes known as “ray-finned fishes,” includes this order.
The swim bladder of ray-finned fish, such as tilapia and shadefish, is located adjacent to the inner ear. They can hear even better from this location.
They all have a prominent lateral line running the length of their bodies. This allows them to detect changes in the surrounding water without depending on scent or sight.
4. Bluefin Tuna
Scientific name: Thunnus thynnus
Similarity: Tilapia and bluefin tuna are two of the most popular food fish in the world.
The majority of these tunas, which are one of three bluefin species, reside in the warm Mediterranean Sea. Despite being freshwater fish rather than saltwater fish, tilapia also prefer warmer waters.
Similar to tilapia, bluefin are highly sought-after as food fish, particularly in Asia. However, it plays a significant role as a predator in its own food chain. Overfishing is hazardous to the ecosystem because of this.
5. Brown Trout
Scientific name: Salmo trutta
Similarity: In addition to being a freshwater species in general, brown trout are well-liked for food.
Fish that are native to freshwater environments, tilapias can also survive in brackish water. Similar to rainbow trout, brown trout inhabit lakes and streams. For spawning, they also travel to saltier waters.
Brown trout are a highly sought-after sport fish, found in nearly every state in the US. Similar to tilapia, they are an important source of food as well.
6. Bumblebee Cichlid
Scientific name: Pseudotropheus crabro
The stripes that cross the body of this fish are black and yellow, giving it the nickname “bumblebee.” similar to tilapia, they are indigenous to the watery regions of Africa.
A mouthbrooder, the bumblebee cichlid is similar to tilapia and numerous other cichlid fish. Until they hatch and are grown enough to go on their own, they retain their eggs in their mouths.
As a result, some of the juvenile may be eaten by the bumblebee cichlid before they reach adulthood.
7. Channel Catfish
Scientific name: Ictalurus punctatus
The face of the dark, long channel catfish is covered in “whiskers”. Like the majority of tilapia species, it inhabits freshwater. Similar to tilapia, they also favor warmer water.
Channel catfish are also among the most farmed food fish in the United States. Though they are typically imported, tilapias are nonetheless quite well-liked in the US. In the world, they rank as the second most popular fish to eat.
8. Common Sole
Scientific name: Solea solea
Although tilapias are flat fish, common soles are even more so. Additionally, the right side of its body is home to both of its eyes. This enables it to burrow into the ocean floor while continuing to monitor potential targets and apex predators.
Similar to tilapia, soles are an important source of food. Because bottom trawlers like to settle in the sediment on the ocean floor, they are a productive way of catching fish.
9. Eastern Happy Fish
Scientific name: Astatotilapia calliptera
The eastern happy fish and tilapia are both in the Cichlidae family. Their lateral lines are one of this family’s distinguishing characteristics. Cichlid fish have lines with breaks in them instead of a continuous line, in contrast to many other fish.
Furthermore, native to Africa are the freshwater tilapia and eastern joyful fish. It was probably intentional to introduce them to the waters of North America. This was done for sport fishing or through pet release.
10. Freshwater Angelfish
Scientific name: Pterophyllum scalare
One of the most widely available commercial tropical freshwater species is the angelfish. Although it is a smaller species than tilapia, it shares the same flat body type. Typically, angelfish reach a height of roughly six inches (15 cm). Typically, they are taller than they are long.
Similar to tilapia, angelfish are freshwater fish. Warm water is also preferred by both species of fish.
Sea also:13 Amazing Fish Similar With Herring(with photos)
11. Indo-Pacific Tarpon
Scientific name: Megalops cyprinoides
Tarpons in the Indo-Pacific region belong to the Elopiformes order. They are therefore ray-finned fish, similar to tilapia. Similar to tilapia, they are likewise flat, albeit they are usually longer than tall.
They really do dwell in oceans, as their name would imply. However, tilapia and these tarpons may also survive in freshwater and brackish environments.
Lastly, the jaw architecture of tilapia and Indo-Pacific tarpon are similar. The lower jaw extends farther than the upper jaw in every fish. The lower jaw of tarpons likewise juts back farther, nearly past its eye.
12. Malawi Eyebiter
Scientific name: Dimidiochromis compressiceps
The Malawi eyebiter is one of the fish on this list that most closely resembles tilapia. They belong to the same family, the Cichlidae, to start. Each of them has a distinct, dark lateral line that runs the length of their bodies in a semi-broken line.
In relation to their bodies, these fish likewise have a broad, flat build. Then there are their comparable environments. Native to Africa include fishes that similar to tilapia and Malawi eyebiter.
Lastly, like other cichlids, eyebiter and tilapia are mouthbrooders. The eggs will be carried about in the mouths of the father or the mother.
Until they are ready to survive in the open, they will occasionally carry their young even after they hatch.
13. Mangrove Red Snapper
Scientific name: Lutjanus argentimaculatus
Mangrove jack and gray snapper are other names for mangrove red snapper. Similar to tilapias, they can live in a range of settings, including freshwater and brackish water.
Like tilapia, they are also frequently caught for food. The snapper eats other fish as well as crustaceans. They hunt and eat at night since they are nocturnal feeders.
For the most part, tilapias only eat at night. The Nile tilapia spend more than half of their day engaged in activities other than feeding.
14. Nassau Grouper
Scientific name: Epinephelus striatus
The Caribbean, Bermuda, and southern Florida are home to Nassau grouper populations. They devour a wide variety of species, acting as indiscriminate feeders.
By protruding their jaws and sucking their prey in, they ambush them. Additionally, tilapia have a lower jaw that protrudes and is used to scoop in prey.
The Nassau grouper is crucial to American fisheries, much similar to tilapia. But because of severe overfishing, it is currently illegal in the United States to catch wild Nassau groupers.
15. Pacific Sardine
Scientific name: Sardinops sagax
Tiny fish packed into tin cans for sustenance are known as sardines. On average, the Pacific Sardine measures approximately 14 inches (38 cm) in length, making it larger than other species.
Sardines are often smaller than the fish that similar to tilapia. However, one species is around the same size as a Pacific sardine. Oreochromis leucostictus, or blue-spotted tilapia, is this species.
Similar to the Pacific sardine, it can grow up to 14 inches, with an average of 2-8.5 inches (6-22 cm).
16. Pinstripe Menarambo
Scientific name: Paretroplus menarambo
In addition to tilapias, another member of the Cichlidae family is the pinstripe menarambo. Not only that, but the two fish share the same compressed, flat body shape.
Their dorsal fins form an unbroken fan that runs the entire length of the trunks. Moreover, the hue of their scales is frequently delicate, ranging from white to silvery blue.
Like their tilapia cousins, menarambos, also known as dambas, are drawn to freshwater. In some locations, they are also used as food fish. However, sickness and exotic species in their habitats provide the true risks to menarambos.
17. Silver Carp
Scientific name: Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Asia is home to the ray-finned fish species known as silver carps. Like African tilapia, they swim in freshwater bodies in their natural habitats. They are also a well-liked eating fish in Asia and other parts of the world.
Fishing farms also include tilapias. However, they are frequently imports from other nations, much like silver carp. This is because both species are invasive in non-native locations, including North America.
Both are rapidly expanding and very adaptive. So, they have the potential to quickly take over and cause problems.
18. Striped Bass
Scientific name: Morone saxatilis
The American east coast is home to the majority of striped bass populations. It can be found in rivers and the ocean.
These fish are highly favored as food sources. However, similar to tilapia species that is invasive and is typically imported from places like Africa. Local striped bass fishing is still permitted in the United States.
Not only are the two fish well-liked, but they are frequently used interchangeably in culinary applications. This is because, when cooked, they have a similar flaky texture and mild flavor.
19. Zebra Mbuna
Scientific name: Maylandia zebra
Although it is not often caught for food, this colorful fish is traded for private aquariums. Its scales have a blue hue, and vertical black bands adorn them. These are what give it its name—a zebra-like appearance.
Like some tilapias, the zebra mbuna is native to Africa. It also has characteristics toward brooding similar to tilapia. In other words, the zebra mbuna has the ability to mouthbrooder.
Until the time comes for the eggs to hatch, the female fish will hold them inside its mouth. She lets them go into the open after roughly three weeks. After that, they dash to the closest safe haven.
conclusion
Each of these 19 fish shares, frequently more than one, at least one characteristic with a species that similar to tilapia. They belong to the same taxonomic family in large numbers. This indicates that their features and habits are similar.
The habitats of these fishes are a common topic. Many of these species are native to Africa, just similar to tilapia. There are also a number of fish that are widely consumed as food worldwide.