Hybridization between Two Introduced, Substrate-Spawning Tilapias (Pisces: Cichlidae) in Florida

Three specimens from a mixed sample of introduced redbelly and spotted tilapias (Tilapia zilli and T. mariae, respectively) in Florida are interpreted as hybrids based on principal components analyses of variation in shape and meristics, intermediacy in jaw and pharyngeal dentitions and markings in the putative hybrids that combine patterns shown in the two parental species. Variability in discrimination among species and hybrids as a function of metric characters employed in principal components analyses argues for coverage of all aspects of shape in formulating character sets.