Need A Tilapia Expert

[trojannemo]

hey guys. i'm looking for some help in telling apart two species of tilapia, Spotted Tilapia (T. mariae) and Blue Tilapia (O. aureus).
I live in south florida, and according to the Florida Wildlife Commission both types of tilapia are well established and found throughout south florida.
i go dipnetting with my club and typically catch this:

i had been told that is spotted tilapia. most of the ones i catch look like that no matter what the size:

they all look barred, not spotted. are these all juveniles and their coloration changes as they mature?

this saturday i caught this fish:

and was told by a senior club member it was a blue tilapia instead of the spotted tilapia...but it looks the same as the above fish to me?


then today i caught this big guy (~6") while trying a new dipnetting spot:

now THAT's a spotted tilapia! so what are the above? are all these the same fish in different stages or have I indeed netted both spotted and blue tilapia?


i know it's kind of a stupid post but this is bothering me and i need to know the difference!

 

[dthoffsett]

I'd say all of them are T.mariae, juveniles have the striped coloration which changes when they mature.

From what I've read, blue tilapia (O.aureus) juveniles have very faint bars, adults are grayish blue with no or faint barring.

http/www.bio.txstate.edu/~tbonner/txfishes/oreochromis%20aureus.htm

 

[trojannemo]

thanks...thats what i thought