Oreochromis is a large genus of oreochromine cichlids, fishes endemic to Africa and the Middle East.

[1] Although Oreochromis primarily are freshwater fish of rivers, lakes and similar habitats, several species can also thrive in brackish waters and some even survive in hypersaline conditions with a salinity that far surpasses that of seawater.

[1] Oreochromis are fairly robust fish, and medium–small to very large cichlids that can reach up to 9.4–61 cm (4–24 in) in total length depending on the exact species.

Research is hampered because hybridization runs rampant in these fishes, which confounds mtDNA data (Wami tilapia is an example), and the fast speed of evolution makes choice of appropriate nuclear DNA sequences difficult.

[3] A comprehensive genetic study that included almost all the species, as well as the closely related Alcolapia, found that Oreochromis as currently defined is paraphyletic.