Spotted Tilapia: Tiliapia mariae Light yellow to bronze with 6-9
bars or spots along side; stouter but similar body and mouth
shape to native sunfishes; small ones tend to have bars that
turn into spots in larger fish (see photo); some have reddish
markings on the chin or throat area, especially when spawning;
sometimes erroneously referred to as an First collected in 1974,
it rapidly became the most abundant fish in the canal system of
Miami-Dade County where it made up about 25% of the fishes by
number and weight; now widespread south of Lake Okeechobee; so
abundant that butterfly peacock was introduced to help control
it. Native range is West Africa. Prefers slow-flowing canals,
ponds, and lakes; common throughout south Florida; may be
increasing in some areas, but not as abundant in Miami-Dade
County as in 1980s. Spawning Habitats: Unlike other tilapia in
Florida, this tilapia is a substrate spawner that lays about
2,000 sticky eggs on hard, flat surfaces; both parents guard
young aggressively until about