Original description as Tilapia variabilis:
ZooBank:0A8FE36A-4EF9-477C-A63B-118D71B83A47.
- Boulenger, George Albert. 1906. "Descriptions of new fishes discovered by Mr E. Degen in Lake Victoria". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. (ser7)17:433-452 (crc00190)
Conservation: Oreochromis variabilis is evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species as (CR) critically endangered (2006).