37. Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner, 1864) ―Blue Tilapia― Exotic Taxonomy. Original description: Chromis aureus Steindachner, 1864:229, Pl. 8 (fig. 5) [West Africa; Lectotype: NMW 32874]. Synonyms: Tilapia aurea (Steindachner 1864); Tilapia nilotica exul Steinitz, 1951; Tilapia lemassoni Blache & Miton, 1960; Tilapia monodi Daget, 1954. Status in the Arabian Peninsula. First record from Saudi Arabia by Al-Kahem-Al-Balawi et al. (2008); confirmed by Freyhof et al. (2020). General distribution. Middle East and Africa. Introduced widely elsewhere. Habitat: freshwater, brackish. Distribution in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia: Wadis Haneefah and Al-Kharj, Lake Layla, Al-Ahsa Oasis, and probably several other Wadis. Economic importance. Locally commercially important. Reasons of introduction. Aquaculture/research. Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).

Published as part of Esmaeili, Hamid Reza & Hamidan, Neshat, 2023, Inland fishes of the Arabian Peninsula: Review and a revised checklist, pp. 201-226 in Zootaxa 5330 (2) on page 216, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5330.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/8249316