Cichlid
Cichlids (pronounced 'sick-lids') are fishes from the family Cichlidae, in the order Cichliformes.
| Cichlid Temporal range: Eocene to present（molecular clock suggests Cretaceous origin）
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| Common freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare | |
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Cichlinae | |
It is a very large family of fish made up of more than 2500 species. Cichlids come in many different sizes, from 2.5 centimeters to almost a meter long. All cichlids have some form of parental care for their eggs and fry. That parental care may come in the form of guarding the eggs and fry or it may come in the form of mouthbrooding. Cichlids are famous for their speciation in East African lakes.[1][2]
Cichlid Media
Aequidens pallidus MH-MCZArtwork ARC 209-201
Warilochromis, a fossil cichlid from the Miocene of Kenya
Pelmatolapia mariae, caught on a hook and line, in Australia: Originally from Africa, the species established feral populations in Australia.
The bumblebee cichlid, Pseudotropheus crabro, is specialised in feeding on parasites from the catfish Bagrus meridionalis.
A substrate brooding female managuense cichlid, Parachromis managuense, guards a clutch of eggs in the aquarium.
A female Cyphotilapia frontosa mouthbrooding fry, which can be seen looking out of her mouth
Cichlids of the African rift lake system evolved from an original hybrid swarm.
Haplochromis thereuterion has declined, but still survives in low numbers.
The discus, Symphysodon spp., has been popular among aquarium enthusiasts.
The "red Texas cichlid" is not a Texas cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatus) but a cross-genus hybrid of Herichthys and Amphilophus parents.
References
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Wikispecies has information on: Cichlidae. |
- ↑ Salzburger W., Mack T., Verheyen E., Meyer A.. Out of Tanganyika: genesis, explosive speciation, key-innovations and phylogeography of the haplochromine cichlid fishes. BMC Evolutionary Biology 5 (17) (2005). p. 17. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-5-17.
- ↑ Kornfield, Irv & Smith, Peter. African Cichlid fishes: model systems for evolutionary biology. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 31 (November 2000). p. 163–196. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.31.1.163. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
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